Your eyes saw my un-formed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.        (Psalm 139:16) NIV

At the start of each year, I ask Jesus to take control of my calendar. I also ask Him to fill in the blank dates to mesh with His purposes for me. This practice keeps me mindful of my role: I’m God’s servant, here to do His bidding. He alone knows what that looks like on a day-to-day basis. It also reduces my stress when the unexpected happens. If He’s in charge, then there’s no need to fret when plans change, right?
For example, just recently, I was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in my lung. Talk about a change of plans! I don’t know what the next few months are going to look like, but God is in charge and He’ll help me through it. In addition to that, as you know, I tested positive for Covid. Again, a change of plans, especially with my newly discovered health condition. Not ideal, but it looks like I’m on the back side of it now and I’m gonna be ok. It has been a good time for me to get some rest and be able to do some planning for the next year that I might not have been able to do if I was 100% healthy. I sensed Jesus reminding me that I’d invited Him to rule my calendar, and He had ruled in favor of rest. Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters…” This timing was inconvenient, but perfect.
Inviting Jesus to take control of my calendar is one of the best practices that I have ever begun. And I can’t imagine a better way to start this new year.

Faith Step: Invite Jesus to fulfill His purposes for your life every day this coming year.