Happy (almost) 2014! This time of year is a symbolic slate clearer. The New Year allows us to reflect on the year past and look ahead at the year to come. We stop and contemplate the changes we want to see in our lives. I am sure most of us are pledging to give up something or start something. I heard that 82% of resolutions fall by the wayside and I am usually no exception! This year, like maybe some of you, I want to give up resolutions….not because I don’t think change is good but because it is usually something fluffy (to be a better person) or vague (to be healthier). I wanted to approach this differently and give depth and substance to change.
Years past, I made my resolutions without considering that maybe the Lord might have some things in mind. I have spent the month of December carefully evaluating the past year and spent some much needed time in prayer. A few themes kept coming up but one really stood out and that will be my theme for 2014.
My theme is Time. I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. I am a last minute with everything…actually I always say I work best under pressure but the truth is, yes, whatever it may be gets done but the stress really zaps my energy and joy. I vow almost daily to make a schedule and have a plan but when night rolls around I tell myself I will do it tomorrow. So everyday my tomorrows get busier and busier and it is easier to just keep with the same cycle. I really feel the Lord is placing on my heart that I need to be intentional with my time and use my days wisely. I started by taking a week to write down what I generally do in a day from quiet time (but because of poor planning doesn’t take precedence), homeschool, cleaning, cooking, errands, and all the other little things in-between. With a shiny new planner I have a schedule in place (penciled in….of course) including a weekly meal plan. The month of January will be trial and error (one reason everything is penciled in) and fine tuning. I pray that this will lead to a life less harried and that joy abounds in all that the Lord has in store for me and my family.
I think it is important to remember that what I am after is not perfection but progress. I think that is why resolutions in the past have fizzled and died within weeks of the New Year. I need to let go of perfection and excuses…neither lead to progress but to continued failure. A Cycle I am ready to get off. I love that the Lord doesn’t want to leave me where I am. He is working and stretching me to make me more Christ like.
Do you have any resolutions or themes for the New Year? What are some ways you’re intentional in making progress?
I hope you are all having a wonderful celebration with those you love! My prayer for you is that this year you will grow deeper in your faith, that your marriages will be stronger and more passionate, that you will find great purpose in being a great parent, to be more intentional with your friendships, and mostly, to find ways to be a blessing to others. May God guide your paths, comfort you, and give you peace as you embark on a shiny new year!
~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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