BY COLLEEN SMITH

I spent a lot of time in December contemplating what God desired for me to carry from 2020 into 2021. I learned so much this past year about who I am when things aren’t going the way they are supposed to, or when chronic illnesses begin piling up in the middle of a pandemic and you’re stuck in some form of isolation for nearly a year. I learned that the word I chose for 2020, community, would take on a whole new meaning, and that in the middle of a global pandemic God would very clearly reveal the word I was to carry into 2021, surrender.  

2020 is a year we’d all like to forget, however, I am not letting go of it so easily. This was a year of change for me. I am carrying a new perspective and a different version of myself into this new year. Isaiah 43:2 is a verse that God tucked deeply into my heart and kept bringing me back to in this season. 

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you.” 

I am reminded through this verse that I am not alone, and that my burdens are not heavy when I am connected to Him. I can carry joy and grief together, along with happiness and sadness. 

It’s a reminder that in a year everyone else would like to leave behind, I can carry new life into a new season. 

I would like to challenge you to change your perspective of what 2020 was not and think about what it was... 

A year to slow down

A year to let go

A year to seek hard after God 

A year to chase your wildest dreams. 

I encourage you to take time to think about what it is you’re carrying into the new year and not what you’re leaving behind.

Colleen is a visionary living in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the co-founder of G.E.M. and the Restoration Experience. Connect with Colleen on Instagram at @colleensamantha or at colleensamantha.org.