Look both ways before crossing the year

Okay, technically we’ve already crossed the year. But this little nugget has proved so valuable to me and I pray it is to you too…

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I finished writing the little devotional on fear and sent it to Jeff.

“Great,” He replied. “Let’s each write up some discussion questions to go with it.” Super.  I scratched out some thoughts, but before I clicked send his own set of questions popped up in my inbox. His questions were these:

1. Can you think of a time this past year when you were afraid? How did you respond and how did it turn out?

2. How can you see ways that God is delivered you from fear? What is one area where you used to be afraid and now are not?

Fair enough, right? However, my questions were these:

1. What unknown in the future is making you afraid of right now? Is there anything looming ahead that’s causing you anxiety?

2. How can you take that thing and go to God in prayer? What would it look like, practically, to trust Him with your future in this area?

See the difference? So small, yet so profound.

My man is a past-oriented person. I, a future-oriented.

He actually pointed this out to me several months ago. I narrowed my eyes and listened, skeptical. Now I see it everywhere; we’re really ridiculous creatures.

• He loves to hold onto things. He keeps old clothes, pictures, books. For him they hold memories of the past.
• I’m a ruthless purger. Haven’t worn it in a year? How about 6-weeks? Close enough. Toss it out. Kids haven’t played with it? Toss it out. Keep moving forward. Make room for new things we’ll inevitably get in the future.
• He takes pictures. Remember the past.
• I never take pictures.  Keep moving forward! (Update: I’m getting better at this!)
• He never finishes the carton/bottle/box/bag/plate. Leave a little bit in there and keep it in the fridge/cupboard.
• I drink/eat whatever little bit is left just so I can toss out the container and move on!
• Jeff keeps receipts for decades.
• I throw them away as soon as I get home.
• Jeff loves studying history.
• I love studying things that motivate me toward a better tomorrow.
• The kicker? I have a dry-erase calendar on my fridge. I realized that I would erase every single day as soon as it was over, and would start over writing the next month in the blank spaces, so that at all times the calendar was all future dates. No record of what I’d done. Only un-lived days.
• He doesn’t have a dry-erase calendar because he’d never erase it. 

Do you see? We really are all wired a little differently. Neither is better, but certainly very different. Thankfully, we’re learning from each other. Jeff is learning to throw away the ratty gym shorts and I’m learning to reflect, look back and bit and learn from yesterday before moving onto tomorrow.

And that’s what we need as we cross into 2014. 

Some of us, perhaps, are prone to gaze intently at the future. We’re ready, excited, climbed on board and racing toward another new year. Some of us, on the other hand, want to ride backwards on the train. can we just look behind and remember all the good. Reflect. Review?

We need both. So as we cross the year, perhaps we’d be blessed by setting aside some time for looking both ways? I’m looking forward to doing this tomorrow (haha! I even write with future-oriented language!), with Jeff. We’ll be asking ourselves these:

• What was your greatest victory this past year?
• What surprised you about the direction of your life this past year?
• What was harder than you thought it’d be?
• What was way better than you’d ever imagined?
• In what way have you changed from January 2013 to December 2013?

Just a few ideas to get started. Are you more past-oriented or future oriented in your thinking? I’m curious … Enjoy looking both ways as you cross into 2014, and I pray for God-inspired and God-initiated ideas, dreams, and reflections. {Thanks for reading.}