Happy New Year! 

My favorite day of the year is January 1 because I love the whole concept of a fresh start. New calendars. New goals. New “word of the year.” A new theme! During 2024, Married to the Ministry will be focusing more on Delight, which is part of our ministry tagline. 

Here are some words of direction that will hopefully point you back toward Delight as a ministry wife. I hope these will bless you and encourage you to maybe rethink some things in your own life, your own ministry, your own marriage. So if you’ve been asking questions like, “Lord, why aren’t I more delighted in this life that You’ve given me? Where’s this abundant life You promised me?” I hope you’ll prayerfully consider changing direction in this new year and head toward Delight.

Direction #1: Down

Put the phone down. Put the iPad down. Put the TV remote down! Satan must be thrilled with how addicted we are to our screens. We have allowed them to become more of a master over our lives rather than a servant that and that helps us do things. If we were on our phones less, maybe we would hear from the Lord more. Maybe we would be more aware of opportunities around us that God presents for Ministry or for connection with people. Perhaps we could even think more clearly if we weren’t always on our phones!

Direction #2: Around 

Wrap your arms around the people in your life more. Putting our phones down frees our hands and our arms to love on others. Let me encourage you to spend more time in physical affection with your husband. Wrap your arms around your kids as often as possible. They’re not going to live in your house forever and everybody needs a mom hug whether they realize it or not! Touch the people around you—both literally and figuratively. Make connections with people who God has put in your circle that you can love on more.

Direction #3: Behind

Quit looking behind. So much of our joy is stolen because of regrets. Are you mourning disappointments? Grieving over things that didn’t turn out the way you expected? Holding on to hurtful words or actions that were done toward you by other people? When we don’t forgive people, that keeps us in the past, locks us down, and prevents us from going forward. Philippians 3:13 reminds us to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. Several places in scripture God tells us to set our eyes forward, to look ahead. So we can’t let things that happened in the past which we no longer can control or change steal your Delight. Let’s look forward this year! Abundant life is not found in crying over past hurts. If there’s pain or regret, however that may look for you, please lay it at the foot of the cross and walk away. Leave it with Jesus and quit dragging it around with you. 

Direction #4: In

Stay in God’s Word. Notice the capital W’s in John 1:1—In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Jesus is the Word of God. If you and I want to be closer to Jesus, we will find Him in His Word. Philippians 194 says God shall supply all of your needs according to the riches in Christ Jesus. Anything you need is in Jesus, and Jesus is in the Word! Since we’re in a new year, I encourage you to get a new study plan for God’s Word if you’ve been struggling with that. Stay in the Word because that is where God teaches us, that’s where He corrects us, that’s where He promises us these things that He has for us. It’s going to be hard to have an abundant life and to be delighted in ministry life if you are not a woman of the Word!

Direction #5: Out

This word is very practical. Clear out something in your life that is a mess! Clear out your calendar. Crazy busy schedule causing friction in your home? Reduce your family’s activity level or number of commitments. Prayerfully look over your calendar and think — “Do we have to do this right now in this season or can we wait?” I would take everything off your calendar that’s not absolutely necessary for a while if you find yourself closer to desperation than delight. Or…tackle that closet that’s driving you nuts! Clear out clutter! What area in your house is out of control right now? Not the whole house, just one area that you can clear out and get in order. Getting rid of some clutter will give you a little bit of relief and won’t make you groan every time you open that door or that cabinet.

These are my suggested directions for the new year. I hope that they will bring you some peace and delight in your home. Eliminate some of the things that might be making you feel desperate or agitated or stressed out. By implementing some of these new directions, I hope you will begin to experience more abundant life in Christ and delight in ministry. 

As we travel through 2024 together, we’ll be talking about more ways that we can incorporate delight into our personal lives,  into our spiritual lives, into our ministry lives. In addition to hearing from other ladies who are married to the ministry, we’ll also focus on topics like managing our money, getting a healthy meal on the table, organizing our houses—practical things like that!

Until next time, may God bless you, your family, and your ministry. I pray that you will walk closer with the Lord this year, that you will find new closeness with your husband, and that 2024 will just be a great year for you. Thanks for hanging out with me today! I appreciate it and I’ll talk to you again soon.