New Year, New Greed

Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat, Revelation 7 vs 16

"Hunger" immediately connotes another word, which is "food." Food can be more than just the solid or liquid substances used to fuel our bodies, and hunger isn't always stomach-related.

You can crave money, love, power, and wealth, and the results, such as fame, high-end vehicles, and privilege, satiate those hungers.

As a result of the Georgian calendar, a new year for us begins every January 1st, and we have it embedded in us to routinely, often subconsciously, outline and dictate what we want or need for the rest of the year.

This cycle of desire and aspiration fuels our motivations, pushing us to set resolutions that often reflect our deepest yearnings. However, the challenge lies in translating these aspirations into tangible actions that lead to fulfillment throughout the year. We enthusiastically declare our desires for increase, prosperity, and success at the beginning of these seasons.

And why shouldn't we? After all, each day brings a fresh start and a new dawn filled with the potential for exciting opportunities.

The feeling of wanting more and dreaming bigger can be harmless; these can even become reality.

Staying fixated on how blessed I am to be alive sometimes flickers on and off in my mind as I become reminded of a few realities that include:

1. 2025 just ended, and very quickly

2. What many consider to be their year, myself included, may or may not happen.

3. Vision boards are fun to make and develop—until they don't happen.

4. The day is already ending.

5. time flies

   
   

Alongside the thoughts that regularly crowd my mind is a quiet anxiety, fear even, of planning, organization, and the suffocating weight of too many goals.

Being hopeful and faithful is not negative, but what we hope for is also not always what we need.

We all know this: we don't always know what is best for us, what is true for us. Only God does, and so many times our dreams and wants are surface-level and far away from the reality before us. So when our planned moments don't happen, we become defeated.

Ever planned a vision board that never came to fruition?

Have you ever prayed for something after its time had already passed?

Have you ever tried to position yourself for a blessing that never arrived?

I have had many of these encounters and more, so many that I no longer keep resolutions or vision boards before me. This is not rooted in fatalism but in surrender. I’ve decided that my life must exist within His will.

I’ve come to understand that life will happen regardless, that what I once considered the pinnacles of success may, in fact, be limitations, and that what I have labeled as obstacles are often the very places He intends to use for my growth.

I am not saying to forget wishes, dreams, hopes, goals, or anything of that sort, but I'm reminding myself as a mirage of thoughts sweeps in that before I hope and dream and write it down, I ask him to lead me; I ask to be within his will for me—his perfect will. I want to be so grounded that even when my wants and my bellyaches are fulfilled, I remember to thank him, and even when my desires seem unattainable, when I become insatiable and overpowered, I remember to turn to him, the living bread, to realign me, to maintain contentment, and to understand that not all food is good food.

Scripture references

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19 vs 21 ESV

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43 vs 19 ESV

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 NKJV