Heart and Time

Hello and happy 2025!

As the third week of the year rolls around, I’ve been spending time doing what most people do at the beginning of each year: reflect, plan, set goals, and dream. It’s the time of year when we either plan and gain momentum or settle and continue life as before.

At the end of 2024, I spent some time wondering what I wanted this coming year to look like. And while there is much in life that is unpredictable, there are many things we are responsible for. As I thought about this, I was gently reminded by the Holy Spirit that stewarding my heart and my time are vitally important.

Time

One thing I heard someone say is, “The way you spend your twenties will impact the life you will have in your thirties.” I think this applies to all seasons of life. The way I spend today will impact the way I can live tomorrow.

Thinking about this, I wrote down some things I wanted to work toward this year. But my overarching goal is related to the same two words I’ve mentioned before: heart and time.

Quitting Social Media

At the end of December, I decided to quit social media for a year. After reviewing how I spent my time, I noticed I spent so much time mindlessly scrolling that I didn’t leave room for the most important things in my life right now.

Not only was social media robbing me of my time, but it was fostering some unhealthy attitudes and thoughts. I was sinking into comparison, offense, loneliness, and criticism. Social media wasn’t just affecting my spiritual well-being; it was also impacting my emotional well-being.

After taking several social media breaks during 2024, ranging from one week to a couple of months, I decided that quitting social media for a year was something I wanted to do.

Like some people have said, “I want to stop looking at people’s lives and start living my own.”

Limiting Reading Time

And so my journey into time stewardship has begun. Alongside quitting social media, I was challenged by someone to write more and read less.

Yes, most people are constantly encouraged to read more, but bookworms have the opposite problem. We can read too much and neglect other things around us while being glued to the pages of our books.

Heart

This leads me to the other thing God has highlighted to me this year: stewarding my heart.

As I mentioned, I became aware of many attitudes I had begun fostering in my life. I noticed that in many situations, I chose to partner with offense instead of forgiveness and grace. In other situations, I partnered with criticism instead of encouragement. In some relationships, I was holding on to resentment instead of loving as Jesus would love.

This has made me take a step back and reflect.

What friendships am I investing in? Are they all worth putting the same time and effort into? Are there some friendships where I should take a step back to better steward my heart and attitudes? How can I love genuinely, without resentment or hidden motives?

As I asked myself these questions, I found that I have to learn to lean back in some areas and love fully. This doesn’t mean that I will ghost my friendships and ignore them. Rather, I’ll guard my heart so that whenever I am around my friends, I can love fully and sincerely, engaging with no hidden resentment or judgment.

Achievable Goals

While many people begin the year with resolutions that soon fade into oblivion, I’ve chosen to do my best to set achievable goals that aren’t too large for where I’m at in life but that also challenge me enough to move and grow.

Sometimes the smallest steps are the most powerful.

Goals from Identity

The motive behind it all comes to an important factor in habit building: identity.

Why do I want to tend to my time with care? Why do I want to fiercely guard my heart?

Because I am a daughter of the King. Because I am a good steward of my time. And because I carefully and tenderly guard my heart.

These are all identity statements. Whenever I don’t feel like keeping up with the goals I’ve set for myself, I remember who God has called me to be and who I am. I want to be all these things and live them out in my life.

I am a person who guards her time and heart, so I will lay aside every weight that hinders me from reaching everything that God has for me.

I am a steward of my time, so I won’t waste it on social media. I am a steward of my heart, so I won’t partner with resentment and judgment.

Who has God called you to be this year? What has God called you to do? What are you supposed to fiercely guard and protect?

Until next time,
Anna

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV