For many of us, when things don’t go the way we want, our first response is, 

“What’s the point?”

Why should we continue with our plans if they can’t happen the way we want them to? Why should we even bother? Since buying our house earlier this year, in the middle of COVID, I’ve been tempted to think this way many times.

Only for all of us, this defeatist attitude stems not from our plans being changed. Rather it is our desires that drove us to make our plans in the first place. My struggle to keep from throwing in the towel this year, has come from the fact that

Tony and I have a dream.

It’s been a dream we’ve had as long as we’ve been together. A prayer, we’ve prayed for the better part of our marriage. We want a home that will be a safe and welcoming place for others. We want to be people who know our neighbors. We want to make big meals, and fill every place at our table.

We now have a home, but the world is shut down.

Only after years of staying in an apartment until we found where we were meant to be—we now have a home, but the world is shut down. Meeting our neighbors has been awkward. Inviting friends over has felt irresponsible. We don’t want to put anyone in an uncomfortable—or unsafe—position. 

All of this, on top of all the other life stuff that has or hasn’t happened this year, has made me want to give up. To create one cozy spot in our house to binge Netflix and hibernate until the world opens up again. But then something changed all of this for me. 

An old friend posted on social media how much joy his child gets from seeing Christmas lights every time they go for a drive at night. And I realized, there are still ways we can begin to show up for our neighbors. By continuing to make our house a home, and through decorating our front door and window for Christmas—we are taking small steps of faith that our dream for our house will someday be realized. 

Putting a wreath on our door and lights in our window, is a visual way of saying, “Hello” to our neighbors. Of lighting their way when they walk down the sidewalk at night.

Though it may be a small step, putting a wreath on our door and lights in our window, is a visual way of saying, “Hello” to our neighbors. Of lighting their way when they walk down the sidewalk at night. And of saying, “Yes, someone lives here,” as our house had been empty for a number of years before we bought it. 

This past year, all of us have had our plans change. Our timelines for making our dreams a reality, have shifted or stalled altogether. But for many of us, our dreams aren’t over. Even our traditions for how we spend the holidays aren’t fully ruined. 

We simply (or not so simply) have to accept our dreams and plans will look different. 

Then, begin taking small steps in faith toward what we’ve been working on all along. Or, toward a new thought or idea we’ve had since the pandemic began. Just because so much of our world is shut down, it doesn’t mean there isn’t still good work for us to do. Our efforts during this time won’t be wasted. We have to believe: What we’re working toward is more important than how the journey looks or how long it takes.

Where have you been tempted to throw in the towel this year?

What small steps toward your dreams can you take in faith this season? 

Have you too, struggled with finding focus since the Pandemic? Are you having a hard time feeling productive because you feel mentally exhausted? Sign up for my email list today, and receive a free copy of my Six Ways to Find Focus in a Pandemic. It will help you find your footing again.

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash