PRESENT for 2016 (Not the Gift kind…)

I mentioned last week that I have been praying for God to send me a word to define how He wants me to approach 2016.  I felt like I had it, but I was still praying for confirmation.  Now, I am certain that my word for 2016 is PRESENT.  




I want to be more Present in all the areas God has me. Dictionary.com defines it as: 


Present : being with one or others or in the specified or understood place:   


In my relationship with Him.
In my marriage.
In my role as a parent.
With my coaches
With my challengers
IN my classroom




These are the main areas that I currently serve and exist at this time of my life.  And I want to do as much as possible. 

But I will be perfectly honest.  I am easily distracted.  By social media, by worries, by ideas, desires.  The list goes on.  I know life is busy for all of us, but I also know that I am in control.  So I have decided to take some steps to reduce the clutter that clouds my brain and keeps me from being PRESENT in these areas.


1. Quiet Time.  I rarely miss my quiet time alone with God.  I get asked a lot how I ever get up at 4:30 a.m.  And honestly, this is what motivates me.  I know that there is not a lot of other time in the day that I will have complete silence to spend in bible reading and prayer.  But even during this quiet time, I get distracted by my mental To-Do list.  So, I know that this will require PRAYER!  The ultimate tool! I am praying to be alone with God with no distractions.  

Do you want to know a secret to staying focused on the scripture I’m reading and the prayers I’m praying???? I read and pray out loud!  I find that this keeps my thoughts centered where they need to be.  Anyone watching would think I’m crazy and talking to myself, but I swear it works!


2.  My Marriage.  I regret to inform you that this relationship probably takes a back seat to everything else.  Why is that?  
Matt and I do set a goal to have a monthly date, but in the day-to-day life, I really find that he gets neglected.  I am praying for God to help me stop and listen to him while he speaks.  To seek him out for time alone.  And to desire time with him more than folding clothes, washing dishes, getting on the computer…

Me and my Matt!

3.  Mommyhood.  Gosh!  If there is an area of ministry I feel convicted to invest in right now, this is it!!! Henry accepted Christ as his Savior over the Christmas break.  Milo is listening and absorbing.  Henry needs discipled by Matt and myself.  And we simply need to be setting a Godly example for them. That applies to the time I spend with them.  I don’t want to just focus on the quantity of physical time we are together.  I want it to be qualitative.  Phone put away.  TV off.  Thoughts focused on them. 

These awesome little guys were entrusted to me.  I want them to know
 I love and cherish them beyond their imagination.  

One way that I carve out time for my family while focusing on my health and fitness is to plan out my week. Each week, I know exactly what workout I’m doing each day, what I am eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  I even have a lot of it prepped and ready to go!  This saves me a TON of time!  I just got back from the grocery store, where I bought everything we need for the week.  I will prep it and have it ready for snacks and meals.

Here is my meal plan for this week: 

4. Coaching.  I LOVE coaching!  I love my challengers and the coaches on my team.  I want to lead by example, invest in them individually and encourage all day long!  I truly believe that God led me to coaching for many reasons.  And one of the main ones is to help others.  Encourage them.  Lead them.  Lift them up!  
And I want my heart and my mind to present while I do this.  While I lead team calls with my coaches, I want their best interest to be my motivator.
As I respond to my challengers posts about their successes and their struggles, I want my responses to be prayed over and helpful.
As I seek new coaches and challengers, I want to spend more time in prayer asking God to connect me with individuals He already has planned. When I am coaching, I want to give my all and use the talents God blessed me with.  I want each challenger and coach to know that I am here to match their effort and their intensity 100%!  






5. Teaching.  I believe I am in the classroom for a reason.  I deal with the same struggles as most teachers. Students who don’t care.  Administrative issues.  Lack of desire to be there some days on my own part.  But I know God placed me there.  Not just to teach History, which I love, but to impart more than that.  To show love, kindness, encouragement to someone who may not receive it elsewhere.   I definitely want to spend more time in prayer here.  Praying for my students, my approach, my school.  

You know, a lot of the things I struggle with comes down to Time Management.  If I limit my time on social media to specific hours, I am more effective.  If I schedule time for prayer, for play time, for assisting my team, I see results.  If I plan out my month ahead of time, I am not floundering and spending hours trying to figure out what to do next. 


One of my favorite personal development books for Time Management is Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy.  I listen to it on Audible, and I am going to pick it back up as I set this new goal for 2016.  


I am busy, yes.  I have goals, yes.  And I want to be efficient and focused as I seek them out.


So! That’s it.  That’s my word for 2016.  Do you do this?  
Find one word for the new year? 
To keep you focused and on track and heading down the road God planned for you?  
I encourage you to give a go!  

I am so excited to see what lies ahead in 2016.  I pray that it is a year of change, growth, big goals met, getting outside my comfort zone and big FAITH!

Happy New Year Everyone!
Rachel