2020 Vision

Hello Sweet Friends!

I haven’t been on in a while, but I hope that everyone had a wonderful and Merry Christmas and great start into the NEW year! With that being said, I wanted to give you some encouragement to bring with you into the new year. I hope you can find something through this post that stands out to you and is useful in 2020!

Before a big day like the new year or another birthday one of my favorite past times is to just take a min and reflect on the year and see the goodness of God in my life but specifically in that one year. This year personally has been one that I didn’t really seeing coming. This specific year took my preconceived “perfect plans” and flipped them upside down. 2019 took a few of my dreams and threw major obstacles in the way, I have felt defeated and exhausted, and heartbroken. I have been in some of the lowest lows that I never expected or was really prepared for, BUT God didn’t forsake me. In those moments where I felt forgotten, or all I heard was the silence of waiting I was still able to see God’s goodness to me. Music has always been an escape for me and when I am listening to praises, I become so humbled as I am reminded of the greatness of Christ. A song that I strongly encourage you to listen to is “Psalm 139” by Shane & Shane it is a wonderful reminder of this goodness. One of the lyrics in this particular song is “ From the lowest place to the highest praise You are worthy” for me personally it’s a reminder that no matter how low of a place you feel you may be in, He still deserves the highest praise that you can give. Even in that lowest place He has not and will not forsake you. That lyric is something that has reign true in my life but specifically in 2019.

Whether your 2019 was a difficult year or it was a year full of blessings and joy this one thing still remains true, Jesus is so perfect and matchless that trying to put this kind of goodness into in words is so humbling and difficult because its so great that we simply do not know how to describe it. When I think about the goodness, he has all my lows and disappointments immediately fade away and often I’m fighting back tears because I don’t deserve it. None of us deserve his goodness. But that’s the thing EVENTHOUGH we don’t deserve it he STILL gives it to us. He formed us perfectly and his love for us is so great that its hard to even comprehend. Personally, I am so incredibly thankful for this kind of goodness that Jesus has because without it I would be nothing.

Going into the year 2020 I hope that you make a conscious effort to be mindful of God’s overwhelming goodness in your life. I want to share a few challenges for this year that I have decided to set for myself in hopes to achieve throughout this year specifically in my faith. I challenge myself as well as you to be bolder in your faith this year than you ever have before, don’t second guess what others will think of you because of your faith. I challenge myself as well as you to be diligent in the way you serve, and lastly don’t be afraid to let God use you in powerful ways because of your own insecurities. Take this new year and find the good in every moment but don’t forget to give praise to God for the good in that moment.

I hope you found something that was encouraging that you can hopefully bring with you into the new year! I thought really hard of a cute catch phrase to take with you into 2020 and of course it’s a little cheesy… but hey that how we roll here at The Real Life Blog so with that being said…

Go into 2020 with 2020 vision directly to Jesus and all his goodness and blessings that he has in store for you!

Much love,

Ash