Your Joyful Order With Leslie Martinez

#97-A Fresh Start: Setting Intentions, Letting Go, and Embracing God's Timing for the New Year

• Leslie Martinez • Season 5 • Episode 97

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This episode is a heartfelt exploration of fresh starts and the significance of setting intentions instead of resolutions for the New Year. Listeners are equipped with practical tips for letting go of the past, establishing intentions, and embracing change with hope. 

• Important reminder about God's mercies renewing every morning 
• The difference between resolutions and intentions explained 
• Practical steps on setting intentions for 2025 
• Importance of journaling to identify what to let go of 
• Discussing the significance of prayer in goal setting 
• Creating SMART goals aligned with intentions 
• Establishing supportive systems for success 
• Healing from emotional triggers during the transition 
• The necessity of letting go of control over others' journeys 
• Emphasizing joy in everyday moments and gratitude practices 

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Email: lmartinez@yourjoyfulorder.com
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Speaker 1:

Happy New Year. Can you believe that it is 2025? The year 2025 sounds like some futuristic year that we should be driving, flying cars and doing time travel by now, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah 2025 sounds like some futuristic world that we should be flying around on our jet rocket packs, right? Well, we're not there yet. Thankfully, kind of hope we don't get there. But I am just so excited to share today's episode with you, because it's just all about fresh start. Whether you are stepping into a new year, a new season, a new mindset, this episode is designed to help you to embrace the new with hope and faith.

Speaker 2:

Hey everyone, I'm Leslie Martinez and you're listening to your Joyful Order podcast. Each week I will bring you joyful stories that will motivate and inspire you and, at the same time, bring order to your everyday life. Let's just say the show will be a mixture of preaching and teaching, with a kick of motivation from your girl here. Welcome to your Joyful Order podcast.

Speaker 1:

In today's episode, we're diving into the idea of a fresh start. We're leaving behind the hustle of resolutions and just embracing the calm power of intentions. Together, we will unpack the beauty of new beginnings, explore practical tips for goal setting, in addition to navigating change with just grace and faith. So the intention for this episode today, it's simple it is to equip you with tools for a fresh start, not out of frustration, but from a place of hope, purpose and alignment with God. So go get cozy, grab a journal, grab a drink, find a quiet spot where you can sit with this episode, because we're going to be doing some writing, some journaling, and let's begin this journey for a fresh start in 2025. So, the power of new beginnings. It's a new year, a new beginning, and for some of us, it may just be a new chapter, a new season that we are also stepping into. So I just want to sit a little bit here. On the topic of just new beginnings, there is a verse from Lamentations 3.22-23 that says His mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. New beginnings are God's way of reminding us that we're not bound to our past. Every day is an opportunity to start over, so let's let go of what is behind us. 2024 is done, it's finished, it's over and we need to press into what is ahead Now. I want you to think about this when we cling to the past, we actually limit what God can do for us in the future. Now I want you to take a moment to reflect Now, sitting and looking back at what God has done for you. That is something great to do when it goes into planning for the future Looking back and seeing where you've been, and I want to distinguish what looking in the past and moving forward is with a fresh start. Looking in the past, where you have been, what God has done, those are all good things and they are things that you can do that will help you to start new, to move into the future. To start new, to move into the future and reflecting on what God has done is always good. That's why I always share how important it is for you to journal, because journal is reflections of what has taken place. You can go back and you can read these journals and you can see where you were at with your mind, your spirit, and reflect on who you used to be. Now do we want to go back to the past and be that person. No, because we are forward moving. We are starting new, and God gives us new mercies every single day. We don't want to retreat to who we used to be. We want to be renewed with the grace and the new that God gives us every single day. We don't want to retreat to who we used to be. We want to be renewed with the grace and the new that God gives us every single day.

Speaker 1:

Now, in your journal that I told you to go get this is a interactive episode, y'all. I'm going to give you some prompts to write down. You're going to be reflecting on some things. This episode because we are starting new. So this is an opportunity. Hit pause right here. If you didn't get your journal yet, go get your journal and come back Now.

Speaker 1:

Here's the prompt that I want you to write down what is one thing that you need to let go of as you step into 2025 with a fresh start? Is it unforgiveness? Do you need to forgive somebody? Is there anger? Is there disappointment? Is there shame? Is there guilt? What do you need to let go of in order for you to have a fresh start? I want you to write that down Now, as you write that down. Sit for a moment right here. If there is something that you are maybe unaware of that you're like God, I don't know what do I need to let go of. Sit for a moment right here and just ask God that Pray. Sit, reflect, think of the past year, of, maybe, things that were a challenge for you, and say I am not carrying that into this new year because this is all about fresh beginnings, fresh start. You don't want to carry the past into the future. You want to learn from the past. You want to reflect from the past. You want to reflect from the past. You want to give thanks and gratitude for what God has done and where he has taken you. But to start new, you need to step aside from the past and focus on the future. And this is where I just kind of want to throw this out there.

Speaker 1:

As a life coach, our sole purpose is to help you to move forward. A lot of people kind of confuse, like therapists and life coaches. I have had clients that they've come and they've kind of turned into mini therapy sessions. Now don't get me wrong. Like I said, it is important for us to look back and realize where we have been and where we are going, but, as a life coach, we are forward moving, so we can reflect a little bit, but we don't sit there very long with you. As a coach, my sole purpose is to have you start new, is to have you move forward. We can look at the past and say, hey, these are some things that held me back, this is what I can learn of who I used to be, but we are not moving into the future, into a new start. Being who we used to be, we're going to learn from that. We're going to keep it in the past. So, as you sit today again, what is that one thing that you need to let go of in order to have a fresh start in 2025? Now I want to share this very interesting fact with y'all Did you know that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February?

Speaker 1:

Yes, like completely. People fail their resolutions come February. So, just one month, just one month of going at it. We have 12 months. We have 52 weeks in a year. Just one month of going at it. We have 12 months, we have 52 weeks in a year, and after four weeks, people just give up.

Speaker 1:

But today, today, we're not talking about resolutions. Instead, we're going to focus on intentions for today, and that is, practical ways to align our goals with God's purpose, to embrace change and to embrace the new right. So, instead of making resolutions that focus on external outcomes, it's important for us to set intentions that align with your inner values and God's purpose for your life. Now, here's the difference. A resolution would say I want to lose 20 pounds. That's a great goal. That is definitely a great goal. But the intention would say I want to honor my body and God's temple this year. Your body is a temple, says it in the Bible, and when you are rooted in honoring your body, it is more intentional and it actually gives you motivation to achieve the goal of losing 20 pounds.

Speaker 1:

Intentions are rooted in your identity and faith, while resolutions are solely just willpower and have a lot to do with external factors. Now here's a practical tip. I want you to actually write down one to three intentions for this year. I gave you an explanation and I don't want to get too deep into this. I'm just kind of touching upon this because I've talked about this many episodes before. I did an in-depth episode about goal setting and intentions this time last year. I believe it's episode 62 of the podcast. You guys can scroll back and you guys can listen to that episode. But for today, again, I just want to give you like a summary of it. In sharing the difference between a resolution and an intention, what I want you to do right now is I want you to write down again one to three intentions that you have for 2025, for a new year, a new beginning, and then I want you to pray over them, ask God to guide your actions and your intentions for this new year. Pause right here if you need to Sit, write them down and then pray over them. And if you're not sure what your intentions are for 2025, this is your opportunity to sit with God and ask him God, what should my focus be this year? What should my word be for this year? What is the scripture that can align with that? What are my intentions for a new 2025, for this new season, for this new chapter? What is God telling you of the direction where you need to go? It's so important for us to say and you know the noise and the chaos of just everyday life there's so many things in our life that can distract us from hearing from God, and I'll even say it me in your ear right now is a distraction. That's why I'm saying pause during this, so you can really sit and hear from God, because there's so many outside voices that can put things in your head that don't align with God's word and purpose for you, for you and I just want you to know my heart, my heart, is to share tools and tips that will guide you to have a new beginning, to start a new year, to achieve your goals.

Speaker 1:

But, at the end of the day, it really comes down to your relationship with God and the path that he wants to take you and where you're going to be guided down. And in order for you to kind of hear that, you need to sit and be quiet with God. You need to turn off the distractions. That means even this podcast. Yeah, I'm actually telling you, turn it off and sit with God, because I can't tell you what the intentions are for your life, I can't tell you what your purpose is for your life, I can't tell you what word or what scripture is going to impact you for the year and keep you going. Only God can do that. I can help you by giving you ideas and giving you resources and helping you to create systems, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the relationship that you have with God and you tuning down the volume of all the external noise to sit with him and hear what he is putting on your heart for a new beginning in 2025. Now, tips for setting goals that do align with God's purpose. And again, these are just tips. I'm not telling you you're going to hear from him by doing this, like I mean, you're going to hear from him by sitting and praying. That's what's going to work. I promise you that. But I'm just giving you tips that can help you, and one of them is starting with that prayer asking God to reveal to you what the season of your life is going to look like.

Speaker 1:

The next is to start with SMART goals Now creating intentions. You wrote a couple of them down right. Now turn those intentions into SMART goals. And SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. And maybe for you, one of those intentions is hey, I just need to spend more time with God. I need to start reading the Bible. So, for example, instead of saying I need to read the Bible more, that's a goal. You know, I need to make a goal of reading the Bible more. Well, you need to be a little more specific with that, in saying, like, I need to read a chapter of the Bible for three times a week or every day for the next 30 days. Be even more specific in saying I am going to read through the Gospels in the next 90 days. And you know what? I have a really good tool that you can use to read the Gospels in 90 days. It is called the Soap Journal, and if you click on down into the show notes, there is a link where you can grab yourself a Soap Journal. For now, they are arriving mid-January, so, pending when you are listening to this, you can either pre-order it or it's already available for you to purchase and get shipped immediately to you. But y'all, the soap journal. What a great tool to have and what a great goal to set, where you can say, hey, I want to read through the gospels in 90 days and being able to have a guided journal that is going to take you page by page Matthew 1, matthew 2, mark 1, mark 2, and then give you an overview of it.

Speaker 1:

A lot of times people set the goal of oh, this is going to be the year that I want to read the Bible in a year and you have never picked up the Bible before. I'm going to tell you, setting a goal of reading the Bible in a year, like the entire Bible in a year, and never having consistent Bible study. I hate to be like you know the Debbie Downer here, but you almost are kind of setting yourself up for failure Because the read the Bible in a year plans. You're reading like three to six chapters of the Bible a year. There's even some days we're reading like seven chapters of the Bible, and it's not about just consuming, it's about actually studying and hearing from God. So don't just be a consumer of the Bible and read it just to check off, because if you want to do that, I mean that's fine and dandy, but you're not going to grow and you're not going to really hear God from that, because you're just going to read, to check a list off and to feel like you've accomplished something and to give yourself a pat on the back. I've been there before y'all. I've been there, so please learn from my failures. Okay, I want to encourage you, learn from my failures. Okay, I want to encourage you study God's word and be intentional in creating a plan that works for you to be successful.

Speaker 1:

So, if you've never read the Bible and a goal that you want to have is to start reading the Bible, a smart goal that you can create for that would be I want you to read the Gospels daily for the next 30 days. Maybe even just start with 30 days. Kick off January. For the next 30 days, you're going to read the entire book of Matthew. Now, when you do that one, you're setting yourself up for success, because you're setting yourself up for small wins. Small wins are so needed for you to keep pursuing a goal. So start with a small goal in mind and your big goal can be hey, I want to read the entire New Testament in 2025. That's great, but how can you break that down into bite-sized goals? Because when you break it down into bite-sized goals you start to release some like dopamine, serotonin, some good things that go on in your brain. You know, see our goals and aim for them and achieve them. When we have those small little wins, it wants us to keep going and to keep going.

Speaker 1:

Whereas if you set a goal of I want to read the whole Bible in a year and then you get to December and you've only read like five books of the Bible y'all, there's like 60 something books in the Bible, just so you know 62, 63 books in the Bible, something like that, just so you know 62, 63 books in the Bible, something like that and you've only gotten through like Genesis, leviticus. You know, maybe you started in the New Testament and you read through Matthew, mark, luke and John and you've only read the gospels and your goal is to read all of it. When you're looking at that goal of reading the whole Bible in a year, it's hard. And then when you don't get there and you start falling behind, and you fall behind in a way where you're like, well, now I just can't catch up, so I'm just gonna give up completely, how many of you have seen yourself in that cycle, and that doesn't just go with reading the Bible, I mean, that can go. For maybe you set a goal of going to the gym every day and you missed a day. And then you're like, well, I missed a day, so I'm, you know, I can't go tomorrow either, and like, well, I just I've missed a week now. Well, now I'm just not going to go at all, right, and you spiral to where you don't want to finish the goal because you're not releasing that little drip of success in your brain to have a win.

Speaker 1:

So it's important to have that big goal and break it up into small bite sizes. And you know, look at how can I take this big goal and break it down, even just in quarters and three months. Quarter one maybe your goal for quarter one is to read all of the gospels. Maybe for quarter two, maybe you read the letters which are like Paul's letters, and then go so forth and so forth into breaking it down to where, hey, by the end of the year you will have completed four different goals that were achievable to complete one big goal. Okay, I said I wasn't going to go too deep into that, but I totally, totally did. And that's just like.

Speaker 1:

Our brain thrives on the satisfaction of completing tasks. So if you, along the way, are completing tasks, you're just giving your brain that little dose that it needs to keep going. Now, resolutions often fail because they are too vague, they are unrealistic and they encourage an all or nothing type of thinking, which I just kind of talked about right Now. When your brain doesn't experience quick wins, it defaults also to old habits. So that's when you find yourself where you're like oh well, I missed like three weeks on my read the Bible in a year plan, so I'm just not going to read it, I'm just not going to finish.

Speaker 1:

To overcome this, it is important that you create those small, measurable goals and then you celebrate the small little successes that you have along the way and remember that change happens just one step at a time. Now, an important, an important thing that will allow you success, a fresh start, new beginnings, is to create systems. Systems are key. I've talked about this so many times Now. Goals are your destination and systems are the path. In order for you to get there, your mind and body just thrive on routine. Instead of saying I want to run a marathon, establish a habit of just running three times a week and allowing these systems put them in place to keep you on track when the motivation just kind of depletes. Right Systems are what keep us going.

Speaker 1:

Having the discipline to also keep pushing through is key. And one thing I literally have this written above my desk right here. It says discipline isn't punishment, it's preparation, and it is important for us to know that discipline. We look at it like it's punishment, right? Sometimes we can't. I know I looked at that word discipline as punishment for a really long time. I'm like, oh, to be disciplined in something and you think that discipline restricts you.

Speaker 1:

But discipline is preparation to allow you to go after these goals, have a fresh start, make changes, have a new beginning, and it's important for us to have systems in place to be disciplined with to allow us to get there Now, in order for us to have a fresh start. It requires a lot. There is a lot that goes into that in setting intentions, creating systems, letting go of things, just really focusing on God. What is this new beginning looking like? For me? And sometimes a fresh beginning means letting go, and letting go and kind of accepting what is, and this is something that I wanted to be intentional in how I share this with you, because you're kind of like Leslie. What does this have to do with new beginnings and goal setting and a new year and all of that? And again, this is going back to our mercies, our new every morning. If God forgets our sins every day and we wake up with new grace, new mercies every morning, who are we to hold on to things that other people have done to us, things that have happened in the past? So it is important for us to let go. Sometimes we have to let go of people, we have to let go of situations or even unmet expectations.

Speaker 1:

Now, letting go of the past, this is something that I learned and I came across this. I think it was like a social media post from like a therapist that has shared this and I wish I could cite this. I don't even know that this post was cited. I just I saved it and I was like, oh, this is good, I have to share this in this episode. And it says, when someone triggers you, that they are showing where you still need to heal. And I read this and I was like, ouch, that kind of stung a little bit right, because there are triggers that we all have and there are triggers of things that have happened to us in the past I know I've shared, you know loosely about my past growing up and emotionally and physically abusive home and there are triggers still today that I realize that happen, that are due because of the emotional and physical abuse that I endured when I was young. Their triggers have I healed from them. I've healed a lot.

Speaker 1:

And you know, even like I think it was like two or three years ago here, I thought like I was healed from all of that. I did a lot of work, I did a lot of counseling, I did a lot of like self-help kind of work, a lot of spiritual healing went through with that forgiveness and a lot of stuff. And then I went to it was like an intensive I don't know what you want to call it. It was the seminar where it was really like a three day therapy, intensive y'all, and there was some stuff that came up that I was like whoa, I thought I let go of that. But there were triggers that were going off and I realized, you know what, I was not fully healed from that.

Speaker 1:

And in order for God to do new in you, in order for God to birth something new out of you, you need to be healed from a lot of the things in your past and oftentimes there are triggers that sometimes we know and sometimes we don't know. There could be a trigger in you that you get super frustrated with people, you get angry for certain things, you get impatient, and it's important that we start to recognize what those triggers are and maybe even write them down, like if there is something that gets you upset, that causes you to get impatient, that causes you to get angry, to get hurt, to be emotional, to be depressed. Write them down and see what the pattern is there, see what the triggers are and then start to ask God to reveal to you what needs to be healed inside of you to not allow those triggers to take place. So if someone says or does a certain thing, it's not that trigger that's going to go off or that's going to cause you to go off, because God has healed that and I truly believe that in God's timing, that those things will be revealed and that they will surface.

Speaker 1:

Like a few years ago, one of the triggers that I realized I didn't trust people and I didn't realize that that was a trigger. There were things that, like I had to kind of scoop up through these like intense therapy sessions that we sat through and God just kind of revealed to me that I had some major trust issues and it stemmed because of the environment that I grew up in. I didn't trust people to keep me safe because I grew up in not a safe environment. So that was like my need for control a lot. So my trigger was control and I had to kind of release that and say wow. But it also came with God's timing that I think I was in a place where I was spiritually mature, mentally mature, to receive and accept that and work through it.

Speaker 1:

So I want to encourage you that, as you are looking to step into the new, is that to ask God what do I need to let go of? What are the triggers that are causing me to not be fully healed, to walk into the purpose and calling that God is calling me to, because sometimes those triggers can be a total setback for you and it's important that we learn to heal and use tools and get therapy, get counseling, doctor your pastor, get in support groups, read books to allow these things to be revealed to you and also to teach you how to heal from those triggers. And in order for us to kind of let go and accept what is, we have to also understand that it is important for us to kind of like, instead of wishing for different realities, that we just need to start where we are. I'm giving you tools and resources and encouraging you to walk through some of these things that may be causing you to be still stuck in the past. The reality is, where are you now? Accept where you are now. Start where you are. If there is healing that needs to take place, start where you are now. Use what you have and just trust that God will equip you along the way and reveal to you in his timing what needs to heal, where you need to be, who you need to forgive and where he is taking you and, with that, learning to let go right.

Speaker 1:

Talk about letting go, letting go of the past, and one of the things that comes with that also is that learning to let people be Y'all. This is probably one of the biggest challenges that I have, because letting people stay where they are is hard for me. Like I want to give people tools and resources and you know that's why I started this podcast, because I'm like I want to help people. I want to bring joy into their life. I want them to see the joy that God brings and you know the joy that if you want to chase after your goals, like how important it is to have systems and goals and all of this to help people to just have their best life but there are people out there that they just don't want any of that, and those are the people that like it's not you because you're listening to this podcast, you're not one of those people that are stuck and that just don't want to chase after the desires that God put on your heart because you wouldn't be listening to this podcast, but there's somebody that you know that they're unhappy, they're bitter and it frustrates you because you don't understand.

Speaker 1:

Like it could be someone that you're living with. It could be a family member. It could be a parent. It could be someone that you're living with. It could be a family member. It could be a parent. It could be a significant other. It could be a sibling, an aunt, a cousin, a brother, a sister. Somebody that you love is stuck in a place that you want to help them, but they are not willing to do the work. And I'm going to tell you something that I am like telling myself as we share. This is you just got to let them be. If someone wants to leave and be unhappy, let them. You cannot control others, and holding on will only deplete your joy.

Speaker 1:

There is a book that just recently came out. It's called Let them and it's by Mel Robbins. It actually is on my reading list for 2025. I have not read it yet, but I want to encourage you if you're looking for a book about this, I know when I saw that this book came, I'm like, oh, I need to read this because this is a struggle that I have. I want to fix and help everybody, but at the end of the day, I have to realize like people need to help themselves. I can guide them and support them and give them resources and tools, but they have to want it. They have to put the work in. As a coach, this is something hard for me also, because my clients come in and I give them all these tools and resources and then you know, like months later I see or hear that they're still stuck in the same situation and it's like you know what I got to let them be.

Speaker 1:

We cannot save everyone and in order for us to move forward and start fresh, we have to let go of certain things and that will be expectations that we put on other people. So learning to let go is important. Of just letting people be, we also need to learn to just trust in timing. In Ecclesiastes 3.11, it says he has made everything beautiful in His time. 3, 11, it says he has made everything beautiful in his time. Believe that god's timing is the best timing for you, and that goes back to understanding when god, like, reveals things that need to be healed from you also, and when other people need to work through their challenges or their situations. There are people that I have been praying for for years y'all and let me take like a step back here because I want to emphasize we cannot control other people, right. The best thing that we can do is leave them in God's hands and pray for them. Pray that they will come to know the Lord. Pray that God will soften their heart. Pray that God will allow them to forgive. God will work through them. You know God will heal them and change their mindset on things and maybe change their views and perspectives and whatever it is that you are praying for that person, instead of putting your frustration and challenge into addressing it with that person, pray for them, pray, pray, pray.

Speaker 1:

For the beginning of our marriage, I would say the first four years of my marriage I kept trying to change Steve and I was like a major control freak and trying to control what he did, and God quickly like that was not good. I was trying to control the situation. I had to let him be, I had to let him figure out how to be a good husband and I just had to pray. I'm like, okay, lord, I'm going to pray that you know, da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

Speaker 1:

And eventually that evolution came that needed to take place, and the same I know goes for him. There were things that I know that he prayed for me over of me not being such a control freak, right? And it goes both ways in that, rather than trying to control the situation and, you know, tell the person like you, you, you, you, you, you, you, we just need to give it to God. We need to accept what is, accept the reality, but trust God in the process, and with that it goes with letting go and letting God right. I'm sure you've heard of that like such a cheesy saying let go and let God, but there's so much truth behind that.

Speaker 1:

Now I want you to just take a deep breath right here. Take one more deep breath. I want you to ask God right now. Just say God, I trust you to lead me from where I am to where I need to be, and if that means letting go of people, if that means of what my triggers are, I want to trust in your timing. I want to accept what is, but know that these small beginnings, I can trust you of where you are taking me. All right, let's keep going, though. That was kind of intense, so I just kind of wanted to do a little breath work there and say a little prayer, because now we're going to talk a little bit about change and just embracing change, and I, for a long time, kind of struggled with change, because change can be uncomfortable, right.

Speaker 1:

It's often, though, where God does some of his best work, and when we're looking at Fresh Start's, new Beginnings, there's change that has to take place. There is change in our mind, bodies and spirits that need to take place in order for God to do work in us. In James 1, 2-4, it says Because when God is refining us, he's preparing us for something good, right. Oftentimes we look at these trials as just like this sucks, god is punishing me and what's going on. But we should consider it pure joy, because when we face these trials, we know that God is producing something in our faith. So here are just some practical tips to help you embrace change. When things are, you know, kind of brewing trials are taking place, change is happening and you're just like God. What's going on during this time? Just focus on small wins, Celebrate progress, not perfection, and then just look for moments of joy every single day. Ask yourself, where have I seen God in this week? Where have I seen God work? Where have I seen God's hand this week? And it's important to again remember, just to trust God's timing, to again remember just to trust God's timing. Ecclesiastics 3.11 reminds us that he has made everything beautiful in his time. I'm going back to this verse Waiting on God's timing isn't always easy, but it's definitely worth it. Trust that he knows the perfect time for change, for new, the perfect time for change, for new, for healing, for all of that, because in God's timing he will bring all of the desires of your heart to pass. He will bring it to fruition. Now here is a reflection question that I want you to write down right now when in your life do you need to trust God's timing? Now we're going to start to wrap up in a little bit, and this was kind of consider it like a coaching session with me, just to help you, encourage you, to start the new year off Right.

Speaker 1:

This episode is all about new beginnings, but this podcast is all about finding joy, your joyful order, bringing joy and order to your everyday life. Now, joy isn't found in the big, dramatic moments of our life. It's not found when we're having success. It's in the small, the very quiet, the everyday, mundane things of God's goodness. And maybe for you, that joy is in hearing your children laugh, in snuggling with your fur baby. Maybe sunrises or sunsets bring you joy. We have gratitude, we are letting go, we're moving forward, but we're seeking moments of joy and moments of gratitude.

Speaker 1:

I want to challenge you for the next week. I want you to write down one moment each day that brought you joy. Keep a joy journal if this is something that you want to start for the new year, just to remind yourself of God's faithfulness. Where does God show up for you in every day? And that's why I started the Joyful Order journal.

Speaker 1:

It has a place for you to have gratitude, and sometimes those moments of gratitude are my moments of joy that I saw, you know, watching the sunset with my husband at the beach. That's something that brings me joy and it's something that I would write down in my gratitude journal. Snuggling on the bed with a new blanket, with my fur baby. That's a moment of joy and that is something to be grateful for. So start to see those opportunities, create a new beginning, create a new goal, new intentions to be more intentional with appreciating the small things bringing more joy, cultivating that joy in your life in 2025.

Speaker 1:

Now, as I begin to wrap up this episode, I want to leave you with this Embracing a fresh start isn't about perfection. Please note that. It's about progress. God isn't asking you to have it all together or to have it all figured out. That's his job. Your job is to trust him and he's inviting you to do that. He is inviting you to trust him in the process, to take the small steps where you can and to find joy along the way and be grateful for the small wins, for the small things that God sends your way.

Speaker 1:

Take a moment this week and reflect on your intentions that you wrote down. Spend some time with God, write your intentions down, write your goals out, pray over them and just give them to God. Remember that you're not alone on this. He is with you every step of the way. If you need guided support, guided coaching this year, you know that you can reach out to me. I am actively taking coaching clients for 2025 and I can definitely help to create systems for you, make actionable steps and goals. If you just feel lost and you're like, you know I need to start new, I need a new beginning. That is something that I can walk you through and help you with coaching. So you can reach out via my email. You can set up a free 30-minute discovery call with me and we can explore what new beginnings we can start for you in 2025.

Speaker 1:

Now, as we wrap up, I actually want to say a prayer over you. I want to pray over new beginnings for you, a new start and just new intentions. So let's pray. Heavenly Father, oh, I just thank you for new beginnings. Lord, I ask that you release things over my brother or sister that are listening right now. Lord, I want you to release things that are holding them back right now, father God. I pray, lord Jesus, that as they step into the new, the new year, the new season, new opportunities, new growth, father God, that you open the doors for them to draw close to you as well. Lord, put on their hearts that yearning desire to spend time with you, lord, through your word, through prayer, through journaling, through church, through sermons, through worship. All of that, father God.

Speaker 1:

I pray that my brother or sister that is listening right now, father God, that there is this desire that just stirs up in their heart to want to spend time with you, father God, so that they can hear from you, father God, so that their intentions, that the desires that they have in their hearts, align with the plan that you have created them for, with the plan that you have created them for the purpose that you have created them for, father God, I pray, lord Jesus, that what is ever not serving them, things that are holding them back, any unforgiveness, any anger, any hate, any impatient, any depression, any self-doubt, lack of confidence, lack of self-worth? Father God, I pray that they just step out of that, lord, that they shed whatever shackles are holding them back, father God, that they are stepping into a new creation, which you have created them to be, father God. So I pray that those shackles of depression, those shackles of unforgiveness, those shackles of hate, of anger, of self-doubt, of all of that, lord God, that they are removed and that, as my brother or sister right here that is listening under my voice right now, father God, that they are stepping into new, with joy, with purpose, with worthiness, with confidence, with ambition to chase after the goals and the desires and the purpose that you have put in their heart. Father God, I pray favor, I pray blessings and abundance over my sister or brother here in 2025. In your name, we pray Amen.

Speaker 1:

Y'all. Thank you for joining me on this episode and can y'all do me a favor? If this episode was a blessing to you, please share it. I have a big goal in 2025 to hit some pretty big numbers on the podcast, in addition to hitting a big number of subscribers on youtube. So can you do me a favor? If you're listening on spotify or on apple, drop a review for me, share it with someone. You, but can you also go to YouTube and can you just subscribe to my channel and show some love there for me. And until next time y'all go chase joy.