I’ve spent some time reflecting on this past year in order to decide on my goals for 2020. I typically take weeks to plan out my goals for the New Year. I break them into categories- Spiritual, Personal, Physical (Work/Passions) Relational and Family. I didn’t do that this year.I love being able to look back on past goals in each category to see where my heart was at. I see the first time I made a goal to read the Bible in a year which O and I did together, the years where shaving minutes off my mile time was clearly very important to me and how long my relational goal list was before coming a mother.

Upon reflection, I realized the thing I love most about goal setting is that it lets me spend days upon days daydreaming up my most idealized self. I often set far too many goals because they make up the steps of the verrry tall ladder to ‘Ideal Jill.’ Part of me foolishly feels that if I miss a single step (workout five days a week! spend intentional one-on-one time with my kids each day! read three books a month! get to email zero every week!) than I’ll just end up staying me. ‘Current Jill.’

This year I’m doing things differently than I’ve ever done them before and choosing one single change. A single goal that if honored, considered and truly pursued would pitter-patter over into the rest of my life in a way that truly mattered. Rather than the week long process I’m used to, the single glaring goal came to me in an instant. It was downloaded into my gut with almost no effort from me at all and it’s this:

Spend more time in the Word than consuming any other media.

That means more time in prayer, memorization, meditation and study than on YouTube, social media, Netflix and Pinterest. This may be a no-brainer for many but in my life since having kids I must say, my time breakdown each day is far from this goal. As a creator of content myself I find I consume more content than ever. It’s never intentional but all it takes is a show on in the background for late night computer work, a business podcast on while I cook dinner, a YouTube tutorial here, a Skillshare class there until my time with the Lord is such a small piece of the pie you can hardly tell there was a slice cut at all.

I’ve been able to memorize and retain so much information that doesn’t really matter while neglecting devoting more time to the only truth I want to be made up of. I see it reflected in my interactions, in my fears, in my desires…it’s plain and simple. I need to be filled with less of this world.

I’m so curious to know, what is your one thing? The one thing that if you changed, would change everything else too? Please let me know. This is my last blog post (aside from one sneaky little check-in) of the year and I just have to say how thankful I am for you. Thank you for charing about what is on my heart, thank you for reading and supporting and sharing and trusting and I could burst with gratitude for the gift it is to share this space with you all. Merry Christmas, friends. And Happy New Year!