2015: Resolution

Here it is January 6, resolutions still fresh on the mind of many.  I'm linking up today with Andrea at Momfessionals for her Tuesday Show and Tell. 

 

I've never been a big New Year's resolution writer...I can remember several years going to our church NYE party when I was younger and writing letters to ourselves about the new year, but don't ever really remember seeing them at the end of that year to know how far I'd come, or let's be honest, gone backwards. 

 

For several years as an adult I had a theme...something that rhymed with the year, ie: Divine '09. Last year I had a word, I wrote it and intended to blog about it at the beginning of the year, but just kept that word hidden in my heart and thought about it constantly throughout the year.  That word was FLOURISH and you can read about it here. 

 

And, now it's 2015. 

 

The resolution I made was to keep fresh flowers in my house. I found this cute mercury like glass vase at Target on a random aisle for $4.50, picked it up, paid for it and declared it my fresh flowers vase for 2015.  First up were hydrangeas. Simple grocery store flowers, nothing fancy, but a reminder to me that I am always growing, lessons learned from FLOURISH. 

 

They also served as a centerpiece for table when I hosted my College Besties for our Christmas (which was Jan 2nd this year) ornament get together. Bonus flowers too because one of my sweet besties brought me these roses!  They have bloomed so pretty all week reminding me "Friends", one of the sweetest blooms in life. 

So, I'm still soaking on my word for 2015.  I think I have it.  I have seen it and heard it in so many places, I feel like it is confirmed.  But, I think I'm going to hide it in my heart for this year.  I want to hold onto it. I want to watch God work in my life through this year and see how that word comes into play.  If you're searching for a word for this year I have seen so many posts of great words...Build, Grow, Intentional, Brave, Free, Give, Grace, Courage, Simplify...maybe one of those speaks to you.

One thing I do intend to do is be intentional with my time.  I feel like my schedule owned me majority of the end of last year. All things I was glad to be a part of, thankful for and fun parts of life.  But, I don't want my schedule to own me. I want to be intentional with my time.  I mentioned my new planner on last week's Friday Favorites, it's the Day Designer by Whitney English.  There are so many great points to this planner, each day with quote, (which I love), to-do list, schedule, things to focus on, daily gratitude, dinner plans, money plans...all areas of life I want to be intentional. 

 

 

But I have decided at the end of the month, I will tear out the pages of that month.  They are days gone by. There is no need to hash and re-hash those days.  Some days the to-do list won't get done and some days the calendar will be overscheduled. Lots of days I will fail at something. 

 

Maybe you're looking at the first couple of weeks of January and thinking I've already failed at all, or some, of my resolutions. Give yourself some grace, tomorrow is a new day. The greatest lesson of this is one of my favorite verses, the mercies of the Lord are new every day.  We all fail terribly and can't ever succeed on our own will and power, but we do thrive on the grace of Jesus and thankfully we start over every day. So maybe the goal is to be better today than yesterday, or better tomorrow than today. 

 

No matter the case, don't let your resolutions lie to you when you've not met them.

Let the grace of Christ speak truth to you.  

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

 

One other way I want to be intentional is to not waste time scrolling on my phone.  Instead reading a book vs. status updates. The first couple I have for the new year are Mingling of Souls by friend and gifted teacher of scripture Matt Chandler. The book is designed for single, dating, engaged and marrieds, based on Song of Solomon and a study guide is available.  Also have the I am Malala checked out from our school library to read. 

 

 

Another book I would recommend that many have seen the movie is Unbroken. I haven't seen the movie, but have heard so many disappointments from friends who read the book that the "rest of his story" wasn't told.  It is hard to pack 97 years into 2/2.5 hours of movie, but Louis Zamperini has an amazing testimony of forgiveness and his life over the last 30ish years. 



 

No matter the resolutions we make, life happens. I pray that we are above all of our to-do's & resolutions well equipped in word, truth and relationship with Jesus. Perhaps that is the best resolution. 

 

Blessings,