New Year, New Measures.

Seriously, 2020 came up in here all rude. It didn’t call ahead to see if we were ready for visitors, ring the doorbell, or anything. It just busted through the door with sickening politics, an unknown virus, and video-taped viral violence.

Who would have ever thought that in just a couple of weeks, the world could be locked down and that it would be normal to wear a mask inside of a bank? (If you would have worn a mask in a bank in February 2020, you might have been shot, if you don’t wear one now, well who knows, you might still be shot.) What a topsy-turvy, crazy year it has been.

But, 2020 hasn’t been all bad. One of the things that it forced many of us to do was come face-to-face with what really matters, including the ways that we measure success.

Pre-Covid, many of us measured success by the number of vacations we took a year, or how much money we had in the bank, or how well our children performed in school.

Then we found out that Disney was closing, our work was non-essential, and that our children’s teachers were angels that didn't get paid enough, and that our children weren’t the “perfect” students we had always thought them to be.

When you aren’t in control and you finally have to admit it, you also have to admit that maybe the way you’ve been measuring your life, doesn’t really measure up.

So, I’m proposing that we measure our lives by things that can withstand whatever 2021 and beyond might bring.

Here are a three of my measures:

• Comparison-Free Living - Living with my head on a swivel never works for me. I was reminded more than ever this year, that the more I compare, the more I despair. But when I’m living eyes front, focused on Jesus and what lies ahead of ME, I live free. (If this is all I accomplish in a day, I know that I’m winning.)

• Meaningful Relationships - As long as I have people that I’m praying for, crying and celebrating with, life is good. I think I knew this before Covid, but now I really know that meaningful relationships are the way to go.These involve risk, and work, forgiveness and selflessness, but boy are they worth it.

• Pure-Hearted Service - My Master, who was God in the flesh, said that He didn’t come to be served, but to serve. (These words challenge me daily.) Am I serving God and people, just because? Just because I love them? Just because He said so? Or am I serving to be seen, heard, and approved of? When I’m serving with pure motives, I call that success.

How will you measure success in 2021? I’d love to hear what YOU come up with.