I have some things to say “no” to in 2018 in order to walk in the “yes” God has for me.

I’ve been thinking about what I want for 2018 for my heart and my family. I’ve been contemplating where I’ve been and where I’d like to go in the coming months. I’ve been thinking about what it will take to make all of those things happen – not just what I need to do, but also what I need to stop doing.

I’ve realized in order to make 2018 the year I’d like to experience, there are some habits, thoughts and attitudes I need to eliminate.

Maybe you’ve got some big dreams and plans for the next 12 months too, and maybe you’ve been trying to figure out what it will take to make those dreams into reality.

It’s possible – maybe even probable? – that some of those habits I have are habits you have also. Maybe you need to do some eliminating too?

Last week I shared a few thing I’m saying “yes” to in 2018. This week I thought I’d share some of what I’m saying “no” to in the coming year.

Regret over the past

This one is the hardest for me. I have so much in my past I wish I could change, so many choices I wish I hadn’t made. God is continually speaking His truth over me, however, and reminding me of these words penned by the apostle Paul, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Anxiety about the future

I’m an Enneagram 3, which means I not only can get lost in regret about the past, I also can easily be consumed with anxiety about the future.
Here’s the thing: when I get wrapped up in the past or the future, I lose sight of what God is doing in, through and around me right now. So I’m leaning into another familiar passage in Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Unreasonable expectations

Another one of my biggest issues is these unreasonable expectations. I expect way too much of myself. I think I have to be perfect. I beat myself up for every way and time I fail.

I know how crazy it is, and I know there’s no way I can measure up to the ridiculous standard I have set for myself – but I keep striving for it, and I keep ending up disappointed in myself.

This year, I’m kicking that ridiculousness to the curb! 2018 is the year I choose to give myself grace, to lower the expectations and accept my own good enough is good enough.

Comparison

Closely linked to unreasonable expectations, comparison has been a companion of mine for a long, long time. But this year, I’m giving comparison the boot.

I don’t have to be as good a mom as she is or as fun a wife as someone else is or as effective a teacher as yet another is. God didn’t call me to be her or her or her, He called me to be me. I can never be the me God intends when I am constantly comparing myself to others around me.

Maybe there are some things you need to say no to in 2018 too. I encourage you to make a list for yourself and then give yourself permission to let go of those attitudes and behaviors that interfere with your ability to live in the abundant life Christ has promised to all of us.