Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3Traditionally January is the time when people reflect on their list of personal and professional aspirations. Goals for the year are created with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, many find themselves overwhelmed with the weight of making these dreams reality. Ambition and hope are quickly replaced by stress and worry.
Proverbs 16:3 tells us that the key to success is to commit our goals and dreams to God. Entrusting Him with our plans and becoming dependant on Him for strength and wisdom. One of the reasons why people find it so hard to maintain the momentum from the New Year is because they try to accomplish the goal using their own strength. The Bible continually encourages us to give Him all of our cares. He assures us that He is fully capable of handling anything that we bring to Him. And He reminds us that His love is greater than anything we can imagine. When we have the faith to believe in this love and the humility to relinquish control, our minds will be set at ease and He will sustain us through the journey.
Here are some practical ways to help you surrender:
- Acknowledge that you have fears: Don’t ignore or push aside troubling thoughts. Identify the concerns that threaten to frustrate your progress. How can you give something over to God if you fail to acknowledge its existence?
- Meditate on what is good: The Bible is filled with promises that offer encouragement during the most troubling times. Take some time in between completing the items on your to-do list and focus on one of these promises. This will help to center your thoughts and relieve tension.
- Recognize your daily victories: Do not allow yourself to get so caught up in what you have not accomplished that you fail to see what God has allowed you to achieve. Even the smallest success can motivate you to not give up.
