My focus word for 2021 is FREEDOM. Specifically, I’ll be concentrating on freedom over fear, freedom over convenience, and financial freedom (freedom over debt/frivolous spending).
a look back – my words for the past 5 years
- Word for 2016 – RESTORE (Restore the years the locusts have eaten, Joel 2:25. I sought restoration both for myself and for my newly adopted sons.)
- Word for 2017 – ADVOCATE (My goal was to find new ways to help kids the world has broken. I received my first CASA case in March of 2017 and we adopted Piper in July of 2017.)
- Word for 2018 – CONNECTION (I concentrated on intentional connection with those around me; in my marriage, with my kids, in my community, and in my ministry.)
- Word for 2019 – HEALTH (I wanted to become more spiritually, physically, and financially healthy. I also focused on learning to set healthy boundaries…which is still a work in progress!)
- Word for 2020 – HEALTH…again! (I felt I had more work to do in the above areas of health in my life. I did manage to lose 25 lbs. in 2020. But also…a worldwide pandemic happened. Yikes!)
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Freedom OVER FEAR
“The opposite of anxiety is single-mindedness, and the opposite of peace is worry.” – Tim Keller.
As long as I can remember I have been an anxious person. I was anxious in childhood. And I struggled through panic attacks in my early 20’s. I was also diagnosed with postpartum anxiety after giving birth to my first two children. Our first adoption trip to China and the year that followed were filled with panic attacks and fear. And you can imagine what the worldwide pandemic in 2020 has done to my state of mind!
My prayer for 2021 is that I will lay down the things that I was never meant to carry. Somewhere along the way I have adopted the idea that the more I can control, the safer I and my family will be. But it’s come to the point where striving for control has made me feel tired instead of safe. I profess to serve a really big God who loves my family, wants the best for us, and has the ability to provide what’s best for us. I need to start boldly living in that truth.
Action Steps…
- Daily time with the Lord in prayer, scripture reading, and lament. Realigning my focus on Christ and things eternal puts the anxieties of this world into perspective. (Joshua 1:9, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18, Psalm 94:19, Isaiah 43:1)
- Faithfully take the antianxiety medication prescribed by my physician.
- Read “You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are” by Rebekah Lyons, “Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen, and “You’re Not Enough (and That’s Ok): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love” by Allie Beth Stuckey.
In the absence of fear, I will be able to bravely walk through the doors that God opens for me and our family. “She gave herself grace because she knew He was strong in her weakness” 2 Cor. 12:9
Freedom Over Convenience
At first glance, a life of convenience sounds great, right? And it CAN be! Goodness knows I have enjoyed groceries delivered, movies streamed, and convenience foods during the craziness that was 2020.
But when I think about the goals we have for our family (to live a simple but deep existence, to refrain from spending frivolously, to eat real foods that nourish and sustain our bodies), the convenience mindset just doesn’t line up. In 2021, my goal is to put more time and effort into the things we eat and drink, products we use in our home, and to intentionally shift my consumer mindset.
Action Steps…
- Prepare made from scratch meals around the table at least four times per week.
- Cancel our grocery delivery service. Though this service has been very helpful for the past few years, it has made it too easy to mindlessly order without stopping to think about our purchases. In store shopping is much less convenient, which will require that I get creative with what we have instead of ordering food on a whim at a premium price.
- We made a commitment in January of 2020 to only eat take-out/restaurant food once a week (on our Friday Family Fun Night) and we did a pretty good job sticking to that commitment. In 2021, however, we would like get even more strict about grabbing convenience food on a whim. Restaurant food for a family of 10 is crazy expensive! And we’ve actually found the kids really look forward to their weekly take-out dinner before we sit down and enjoy a movie/brownies on Friday nights.
- I will also be trying to use simple/natural products on our home and bodies. More info on that in a later post!
freedom over debt
God has richly blessed our family in so many ways. But the adoptions of 5 children with special needs over the course of 4.5 years has done significant damage to our long term financial goals. Would we change one thing about the way we grew our family? Absolutely not! But 2021 is the year we need to get a firm handle on every dollar that comes into our home and be sure we are intentional about every dollar that is spent. And I KNOW we are not alone in that goal! Spending less/saving more/paying off debt always tend to make the top 5 of American’s New Year’s Resolutions.
Before taking the first step in paying off debt, it is very important to figure out your “why”. This is unique to every family but critical to sustaining momentum on the hard days. God has called our family to a life where many people depend on us. We are determined to strive towards financial freedom so that we will be able to receive His best and say yes to ANYTHING He calls us to without the weight of financial debt.
Long term, we want to be able to provide for our daughter with Down syndrome, specifically by buying a family home which will allow her supervised independence as she grows. We also want to be able to help out our other children with college expenses, hand-ups, etc. as they enter adulthood. And another big goal for our family is to be extravagant senders of missionaries in our church as they proclaim the Gospel to unreached people groups throughout the world.
So, in order to take the first step towards debt freedom, 2021 will be our year of less. We are going to commit to slowing down and asking ourselves what we really want (to be debt free) rather than mindlessly purchasing on impulse. We are going to strive to be mindful consumers. And I pray the 10 of us will all learn the powerful lesson of forgoing what we want in the moment for what God calls us to in the future.
Below are lists of the purchases we have deemed “essential” vs. purchases we will refrain from in 2021. Please know that I am very aware of the great privilege these lists reflect. For the past 21 years, we have lived the consumer lifestyle that most American’s strive for. But we KNOW that we have been called to live a counter-culture existence! And 2021 will be our first steps in that direction.
Essentials List…
- Mortgage/Utilities/Home Insurance
- Vehicles/Gas/Insurance
- Phone/Television
- Church Giving
- Medical Expenses/Supplies
- Groceries (purchased for the best possible price, preferably from Aldi/Costco)
- Basic Kitchen Supplies
- Toiletries/Diapers/Cosmetics
- Cleaning Products/Laundry Detergent
- Birthday Gifts
- Necessary Homeschool Curriculum
- Friday Night Take-Out Dinner
Nonessentials List…
- Starbucks Coffee (this one hits me extra hard!)
- Clothes, Shoes, Accessories (full ban on any new clothes for ALL FAMILY MEMBERS)
- Dining Out/Take Out Food (with the exception of Friday Nights)
- Books
- Household Items (candles, decor, furniture, etc.)
- Electronics
Once we figure out what we can cut from our budget then we’ll be able to take Dave Ramsey‘s advise and get that “Debt Snowball” rolling! I’ll be sharing our financial journey as we go and I hope you’ll follow along.
Those are my goals and focus word for 2021! I’d love for you to share your word for the year in the comments below! Read more of my story here.
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