A new year has begun, and with it dawns hope – hope of better circumstances, better attitudes, better relationships.

During this time, some people make a resolution, something they want to do better in the coming year. Others prayerfully pick a word around which to center their decisions. Still others choose a Bible verse, training themselves to focus upon Scripture. Lists of books we want to read in the coming year; long agendas of tasks we want to accomplish; ten-year plans, five-year plans, one-year plans, six-month plans – all of these we make with hopeful expectation that we will be able to make the necessary changes, that ours is the will which spurs on reform.

The book of Proverbs gives us many reminders about who is ultimately in control, who we can ultimately rely upon. I’ve made resolutions, picked words, chosen Bible verses, and fashioned expectant lists. Yet, I’ve found that the more I focus on me, on what I want done, what I want to change, the less my focus is on the Lord.

Will I continue this year to go through the motions of preparing for a hopeful new year? Of course! However, I must also understand that, although I have made plans, although I have made lists, it is essential to remain open to what God wants to show me, teach me, have me do. He has seen fit to allow another year to happen – how can I honour Him in it?

It is difficult to get into the habit of daily reading and meditating upon Scripture.

The excuses I used for years against the diurnal reading of Scripture were, ‘It’s too overwhelming; I don’t know where to start’ and ‘It’s boring. I’ve heard the stories so many times’. I’ve also used, ‘I don’t have time today’ and ‘I’m too tired/overwhelmed/stressed’ and ‘What’s the point? I won’t be able to understand it anyway.’

When I look back at these excuses, the only thought that crosses my mind is, ‘Oh, how much better I would know Him if I hadn’t been so stubborn!’ I don’t recall what was so important that I could not be bothered to open the Bible. I don’t remember what I was so stressed over that I didn’t care to meditate on God’s Word. What I do remember is how little I knew about God and His character.

When I chose to immerse myself in and inundate my life with Scripture I found that those excuses were just that – excuses. When I began to see each book as a way to better grasp the character and personality of God, the Bible no longer remained overwhelming; the Book is about Him. After I came to this realization, it is now no longer boring, for I must discover how He worked in the stories. I have begun to savour and covet the time I spend with Jesus as I seek out who He is in the Letter He wrote.

Of course there are days when I am tired or do not want to read. Of course there are days when I don’t understand fully what the Scripture says. But, oh! – when I do make the commitment to read God’s Word, the long-term benefits far outweigh the momentary struggles.

I grew up knowing that poetry is a beautiful thing, but to me it was also somewhat mystical. I think I had such a difficult time with poetry when I was younger because I did not realize that poetry compels the reader to read it aloud. The fluidity of the words and pictures, the lines of beauty beg to be spoken, if not memorized.

The following are some of my favourite poems:

“Annabel Lee”, by Edgar Allen Poe – Short and tragic, this poem tells of a love so deep the narrator believes angels killed his love because of it.

“The Highwayman”, by Alfred Noyes – This haunting poem, famously put to music by Loreena McKennitt, tells the sad tale of an innkeeper’s daughter and her lover, a highwayman wanted by King George’s men.

“Jabberwocky”, by Lewis Carroll – This poem is marvelously short with made-up words that scream of Wonderland. (In fact, this poem is found in the second Alice book, Through the Looking Glass.)

“Lady Clare”, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – This poem is mostly a conversation between Lady Clare and her nurse, who reveals a long-kept secret, the day before Lady Clare’s wedding.

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, by Robert Browning – A well-known tale, this whimsical poem warns of the importance of keeping promises.

In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks about our freedom in Christ and, more specifically in chapter 8, our freedom we have pertaining to food. For years I felt inadequate because I thought I was not bringing ‘good’ food to the table. I was angry because I kept comparing my eating style and grocery budget to others’. I felt judged and frowned upon because of the foods we could afford and the diet to which we were limited.

Yet, as I read Scripture, I have been reminded that I must do the best I can with what I have. I am told to praise God in everything, give thanks in everything. Ergo, I am told to praise Him for allowing us to have a food budget, even when it’s not as high as I would like it to be.

The questions I have had to ask myself during times of leanness is, ‘Do I have faith that God will bless the food we’ve asked Him to bless? Do I have trust that He will be able to keep us healthy on this budget and with these foods?’

Scripture reminds us that we have freedom to no longer be bound by diet and, for someone who has had to live on a rather small grocery budget, that is another thing for which I can praise Him.

In Proverbs 17:17, we are told that “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

It is extremely difficult to be a friend who loves a friend in all the seasons of a person’s life. The more I study Scripture, though, the more I learn how to be that friend. I’ve learned that loving my friend means crying with my friend, praying with my friend, laughing with my friend, and grieving with my friend.

I have also learned that loving my friend means I must take the time to truly listen to my friend rather than freely offer my opinion; sometimes, I’ve found, it’s better to not give an opinion at all. Probably the most difficult lesson, however, is that loving my friend means forgiving my friend when their words are sharper than usual or when their mood is sour, and I’m at the receiving end of that sourness. Although not excusing rude behaviour, I have learned to remind myself that sometimes people have ‘off’ days because (and this will come as a shock to some) we are human.

Below are some ways I have appreciated someone being a friend to me, and some ways I try to be a friend.

Listening – Being someone who will listen, rather than constantly giving advice, is rare. I appreciate these friends more than they know.

Praying – Praying for a friend is one of the most loving things to do. Hearing a friend entreat the Lord on my behalf is something I covet.

Sitting – Sometimes all I need is for someone to sit with me. Companionable silence is so rare these days that when I find someone willing to do this with me it is time I treasure.

A few years ago, I had no idea there was such a prodigious industry in strategy games. Three forerunners in this industry are Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Dominion. Below are some of my favourite strategy games. (There are more difficult ones, but I usually don’t play those because I don’t like my brain to hurt.)

Easy to learn strategy games:

Patchwork – This is a quick game that plays 2 people who are each trying to make a quilt from differently shaped blocks.

Gingerbread House – This game, usually around an hour, plays up to 4 people who are all trying to build their own gingerbread house from tiles placed on a board.

Second Chance – This fast-paced game plays up to 6 people who are simultaneously trying to fill in their individual grids by drawing shapes that appear on cards.

Medium investment strategy games:

Azul – This visually appealing game, taking about an hour, plays up to 4 people who are trying to fill in their boards with tiles to earn points.

Caverna: The Cave Farmers – This game plays up to 7 people who are farmers trying to stay alive. Keep in mind with this game that the more players there are, the longer it takes (seriously – it can end up being a long game).

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle – This game plays up to 4 people who are students trying to stop the Death Eaters from winning. Play time varies depending on what game options you pick, and ranges from, “Wow! What a wonderfully thematic game!” to, “ARE YOU KIDDING?!”

Moving is always difficult. I think the worst part of moving is leaving behind those you have come to love, or being left behind by those you love. Saying ‘goodbye’ is typically riddled with tears (even if they never make themselves seen).

I really don’t like saying ‘goodbye’ to people. I have, however, found that the goodbye hurts less when I’ve spent large chunks of time invested in the relationships. That seems rather counterintuitive, doesn’t it?

I’ve moved quite a bit in my life and have become extremely adept at pulling away from people, either consciously or subconsciously, before I move. Some years ago, though, I decided to throw myself into my relationships, despite knowing I was only going to be with those people for a short period of time. Amazingly, it was so much easier to bid them farewell once it came time for me to leave than a goodbye had ever been.

Here’s my theory: I had no regrets. I didn’t regret being available to them. I didn’t regret the laughs we shared. I didn’t regret the prayers we prayed for each other.

It is my tendency to assume that my relationships will remain steady after a move or after I say ‘goodbye’. Sometimes this is true and my friends and I can pick up right where we left off, but more often than not the relationships change because I change and those I love change. Do you know what I’ve found?

Even amidst changes, moves, and goodbyes, my spirit can remain steady if my foundation is solid. When my heart and mind are saturated with the Word of God, rather than with my anxieties and emotions, change is not as difficult. A move, though stressful, is less stressful. Saying ‘goodbye’, though extremely difficult, is less difficult.

In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the parable of the two builders. One man built his house on the sand and one man built his house on the rock. When the rains came, the house on the sand fell, but the one on the rock remained.

What is similar for both houses? Both were pelted with rain, but the one whose foundation was secure was able to weather the storm. That’s not to say there may or may not have been damage to the house that remained (storms typically bring with them some damage!); however, the house still stood.

So even though changes in relationships may hurt, goodbyes, both temporary and permanent, may be difficult, and moving may be stressful, if my spirit is set firm upon the Rock of my salvation they are easier to weather.

The parable mentioned can be found in the Bible in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49.