At the start of a new year, anything seems possible. So we make our plans, knowing we have 365 days to make it happen.

When you get down to it, only two things really matter.  

Love God.  

Love others. 

It often feels like there’s not enough time in our day—or left in our life—to do what needs to be done. First, recognize that the prior sentence is a “doing” statement. And yes, while things need to get done, remember being always comes before doing. And this sense of “not enough time”? Do you really think the Creator of time won’t give you time for what he’s stirred you to do? Sure, it may look different than you imagined it would. But you can’t be running behind when you are running with God. When you find the Creator of time, you find time. With God, you really do have all the time in the world.

You can do a lot. But you can’t do it all.

What kind of life do you want—a safe, predictable one or a story filled with mystery that forces you to lean into God? Which do you think will transform you into a person of depth and wisdom? Which life will people remember and talk about around campfires a hundred years from now?

Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The name Immanuel means God with us.  And he remains with us, every moment of every day. 

Before a new journey can truly begin anew, there must be an end to the status quo. We must leave the camp of the comfortable and venture into the uncertainties of the unknown.

The antidote to being an orphan and doing life “without God” is simple. It is to do life—all of life—“with God.” I’m convinced nothing is more important. That is why Mia’s final vial is labeled Together .

I have a big truck. My best memories in it are from years ago, when my son Chase was young.  

Rather than giving us a formula for success, God instead gives us himself. Formulas don’t require God’s presence. Worse, they offer the illusion of control in place of intimacy and dependence on a wild, unpredictable, playful, non-formulaic Creator.

Imagine creating something with God that is beyond your wildest dreams. You can’t wait to show others. To launch it. To watch it accelerate as the world discovers it. And then God whispers to you, “That was just for the two of us. It’s not something to share. Go ahead and put it in the drawer rather than post it online.”

This may be one of the hardest truths for an artist to hear, but I’m going to say it anyway.

The ultimate measure of your creativity isn’t success.

There are at least four significant forces that can diminish your God-given identity. It’s good to know them so you can then guard against these toxic lies:  

Your identity is who you are at your core. And how can you be true to God, others, or even yourself before you’ve settled this? That is why Mia’s third vial is labeled Identity.

The next time you think about your creativity, consider the fishermen before they met Jesus in Galilee. They excelled at their craft. Fishing likely brought these men some level of joy, but then Jesus invited them into something truer. In an instant, expert fishermen became “fishers of men.” They traded the foreshadowing of their prior calling for a full measure of what they were born to be. Their truer calling.

When you think back on your Story, what have you always been drawn to? I’m not asking what others say you’re good at. We can be good at doing things that we have little interest in. I’m talking about activities that cause you to lose track of time when you enter into them. What would it look like to experience that joy again, in a fresh new way?

Perhaps you’ve let go of what used to bring you such joy. Or you find yourself going through each day in a job that pays the bills, but doesn’t stimulate your heart. Some say it’s impossible or extremely rare to find a job that can do both. Perhaps. But why not be one of the rare ones?

The second vial Mia must fill is labeled Awaken. This vial is essential because only when your heart is awakened will you know what to pursue. Before that, you will be searching endlessly for ways to fill your broken heart rather than offer from a heart that is fully alive.

In the last reading, I shared how keeping a journal with you at all times reveals a heart of expectancy. But I know it can be daunting to stare at a blank journal page, wondering where to begin. So here are six starter questions to help you grow in expectancy. I encourage you to write each question down in your journal. Then spend time listening to what God wants you to know.

In The Story of With, Mia’s dad gave her a leather journal. It stirred a sense of expectancy for what was to come and all they would experience together.