So Tell Me What You Want (what you really, really want)…

‘Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.’ (Luke 2:19)

Around the end of the year, I do a lot of pondering in my heart and mostly what I’m pondering has to do with my hopes and dreams for the year ahead. My confession is that I really believe we can get a lot of things done if only we’ll set our hearts, minds and bodies to it – and it really helps if we write things down!

So… tell me what you want, what you really, really want. Or better yet, ponder these thoughts for yourself deeply and then write them down. I have read that there is a much higher probability of our achieving our goals if we write them down and it’s definitely my personal experience that this is true. For the last couple of years, I’ve written my own goals or objectives (heck, let’s just ‘em New Year’s Resolutions) into my phone and since I have it with me I can offer you some evidence to support this idea of there being power in writing things down.

Exhibit A – New Year’s Resolutions 2023

  • Complete year 4 at Regent’s Park college successfully.Tick. Year four has been completed, dissertation all done, and I’m currently on track for a 2:1 grade in my Bachelor of Theology.
  • Compete again at powerlifting.Tick. I took part in my second powerlifting meet in March.
  • Set a new ‘personal best’ in the deadlift.Nope, I came up 5kg short. However, I did set a new PB in the squat (160kg, if you’re interested).
  • Progress towards a 200kg deadlift.Nope, as above I came up short at the comp and 185kg remains my best. Things are going well in training though!
  • Buy a TVR and really enjoy the whole process.Tick! ‘Chloe the Chimaera’ is 4.5 litres of pure joy and a 20-year itch has finally been scratched with a little ‘strategic re-investment’ of pension funds!
  • Enjoy an amazing family holiday.Tick. Sicily – epic. Standing in the sea with the sun rising blood-red behind us whilst looking at a smouldering Mount Etna in front was pretty incredible!
  • Have a meaningful spiritual retreat.Tick, and thank you EBC. A 1000-mile road-trip, taking in Chester, the Lakes, Scotland and the incredible ‘Xtreme Character Challenge’. An unforgettable experience of physical, emotional and spiritual pilgrimage. Beautiful places, familiar faces… Special times with God and a whole new brotherhood formed in the Scottish highlands!
  • Connect with friends and family more often.Tick. I’ve reconnected with some old friends, made some new ones, and made sure to stay in touch regularly with the closest people in my life.
  • See significant progress at church.Tick! New members, new Baptisms, new events and a growing sense of family. Amazing!

As I reflect on that last one, and other more personal and spiritual aspirations that aren’t shared here, I recognize that whether I write them down or not, there are some hopes, visions and dreams that are quite beyond me to ‘make happen’. So, to God be the glory for church growth – and of course, for all of the other stuff I have either achieved or attempted. None of this is done in my own strength, but I do think we should at least do our best to play our part.
 

So, write stuff down even if it is utterly outside your paygrade to accomplish. And then? Do all you possibly can, and pray in the rest. If it’s God’s will, it’s as good as done already – we just need to be faithful and patient in the waiting.

What do you really want? What do you really, really want? Write it down, talk to your closest friends – your Christian brotherhood or sisterhood who love you and have your back – and keep reflecting and praying on it. Maybe God will bless you with it, or maybe God will gently change your mind about it. Does what you want match up with what God wants? Or does it fly in the face of God’s will? Sometimes God might bless us with a no, you know!

May the Lord God, Sovereign and Holy, bless you mightily in the year ahead. And as you delight yourself if the Lord, may He grant you the desires of your heart.

Every blessing this Christmas and in the year ahead. May His will be done.

Simon