My most exciting goal for 2013 is to read through the bible in a year. I'm doing it with a few of my closest Tampa friends. One of them came to me a while back and said she felt challenged to do it because she'd never read the entire bible before and as a believer thought that was important. I agreed to do it with her and two other girls from our bible study excitedly joined in. Starting that on the first made this year feel hopeful.
In addition I re-up'd my reading challenge for this year and I wanted to start off with something that would get me excited about 2013. I'd had 20 Something, 20 Everything on my bookshelf for a few months after reading rave reviews on Goodreads. As I looked through the books I've been stocking up, this seemed to be a good place to start a new year.
The book requires journaling and some 'homework' which is different for me but I'm enjoying the challenge. On January 1st the assignment required writing out who you are, what do you want, and how do I get what I want. It was the perfect start to this year to really consider those questions. One thing I know to be important is priorities and more than ever I see a need to prioritize my time based on what I want to accomplish this year.
The first two chapters had me nodding my agreement and texting Meagan quotes like, ''I feel like I'm supposed to have a devastatingly impressive life before I hit 30'. After which I texted' I totally get that' and without seeing my text she wrote back 'Amen, I totally get that'. Hassler hit the nail on the head with this one, the pressure on your 20s has become astronomical and many of us find ourselves trapped in the expectations of other people.
I closed yesterday's reading and continued all morning dwelling on this question: 'Are we so busy designing our lives around others' expectations that we never take time to discover what we truly want?'. I'm using the first part of this new year to determine just that - what I want. Who I want to be and the life I want to lead. As elementary as that sounds, I think most people work towards what they're sure they're supposed to want and not actually what they do want. I don't want to fall into that trap in my 20s or in any other year of my life.
And hey, I think we all have the chance to live devastatingly impressive lives - we just have to redefine what's impressive.
Three weeks from today I depart for Africa. I'm determined not to waste my life. This trip seems to be coming at the perfect time - I feel so prepared and ready to fly across the world with a team of strangers and get my hands dirty for a few days.
Love,
B
4 comments:
I am oh so excited about your trip and can't wait to hear all about it!
I love this post! I love the new new new year... ironically, though, NYE is my least favorite holiday! tee hee hee! I'm so impressed and am definitely intrigued with that new book! Also - good luck with the bible reading. I have an app that plots out reading the bible in a year, but always end up stopping after a month or so... maybe you will inspire me!
Gosh I always look forward to reading your posts. I feel like you know how to perfectly write what I'm thinking.
And now I'm thinking I also need to read that book.
Happy 2013, girl!
I agree-- there's SO much pressure in your 20s. Find the career you want, find a husband, have kids, etc... After graduating college/grad school, it's so easy to get swept up in the rat race. Even now, as 30 is knocking on my door, I still don't know if this is the career I want to have for the rest of my life or the place I want to live in for the rest of my life. But it's what I want now, so I'm trying to learn to be content with that. I don't HAVE to have a plan for the next 50 years. This is where God has me, and he can move me as he chooses. :)
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