This week we not only approach the beginning of a new year but the birth of a new decade. Our family feels it especially, as my oldest daughter prepares to deliver her second child and we celebrate my second daughter’s twentieth birthday. I still remember the fear and uncertainty of expecting a child in the days before Y2K, when the world wondered whether we would experience widespread computer malfunctions that would send our banking and power systems into chaos since many computer programs used double digit dates for the year and we entered the year 2000, not 1900.
I think we typically approach milestone dates with unease and uncertainty. Am I where I thought I would be personally or professionally by this time? If not, why not? What are my goals and resolutions for the year? Do we typically set higher expectations for ourselves at the start of a new decade?
My hopes for my children, as they grow into adults, have shifted with time. In our early parenting days, I wanted to raise smart, accomplished children (and of course, I still do). The grades I made and the schools I attended were very important to me. Now what I want most is for them to be good, kind people, to make a difference in the world (even on the smallest of scales), to hold fast to faith, to live joyful lives. Although these expectations seem simple, look around and you’ll see they aren’t easily attained.
When our Heavenly Father looks down on us — His children — what does He hope to see? I imagine He’s more concerned with our character than our resume.
Please join me today at (in)courage for the rest of the post as we prepare for a new year and a new decade!
