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A Look Ahead

As we prepare to bring in the new year, I have to admit that I get a pit in the bottom of my stomach.  It's scary to think about how our lives can change in a year's time.  It's just about now when I have this moment of panic, but then I reflect on God's promise to never leave us nor forsake us and his command,  "Do worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry of its own."

So here I sit looking ahead to 2013.  It's already filled with so much hope and promise.  On Wednesday my dad will start a new job, in March we will welcome our little girl into the world, and this summer my sister will become a bride.

The thing you need to know about me is I don't do New Year's Resolutions...EVER!  Instead, I pray for God to give me a "word" to work on in the upcoming year - like a virtue  In the past, it's been Peace, Joy, and Patience to name a few. This year there are three areas I'm taking before the Lord.

SIMPLICITY - I like to be busy; I just do.  I like making a check list and marking things off.  I like finishing a project and starting a new one the next day. Sometimes however, I am guilty of overextending myself.  I get so caught up in day to day grind that I forget to breathe and enjoy this season of life.  Sometimes I feel like all I do is work for the future rather than enjoy the moment.  I want to strip myself of the excess and treasure the time I have here and now.  I want to have a routine, but not a schedule. Does that even make sense?  I want to plan fun events and trips for my son, but I don't want to be so caught up in making them perfect that I miss the magic of ordinary moments - you know, the things that aren't blog worthy.  I want to workout for energy and health, not for a weight goal.  I want to have a happy, well run home for simplicity's sake, not for my pinterest board!  In a nutshell, I want to get rid of the unnecessary demands and faulty intentions so that I can focus on the things that truly matter in life.

DISCIPLINE - I know this seems a little misfit following simplicity  but actually I think it goes quite well.  I tend to view discipline in a negative term - like I'm a slave to it.  For example, going to the gym takes discipline and sometimes having to do something takes the joy out of it.  However, that is an worldly view of discipline and not a Biblical one.  Godly discipline brings freedom.  For example, being disciplined in going to the gym allows us to care for our bodies which are Christ's temples.  This type of discipline brings freedom in the form of good health and self confidence to name a few.

There are half a dozen areas in my life where I need Godly discipline - obviously, taking care of my health is one of those.  I could also use some help in running my household so that chores don't pile up.  I think this fits into the simple schedule we discussed earlier.  Speaking of which, a more disciplined bedtime routine would bring a large amount of freedom and peace into the Watson home.  Finally, keeping better track of our finances would also be an area where Godly Discipline would be beneficial.

CONTENTMENT - So now I throw another kink in the wheel for you, but this has really been on my heart.  I struggle in this area quite a bit.  Between Facebook, Blogger, and Pinterest is easy to become discontent with our homes, our jobs, our clothing, and our homemaking to name a few.  However, I believe true contentment isn't based on our current situation.  It's about counting our blessing one by one!  I believe that I can be just as content on a $20,000 salary as a $50,000 if I see the blessing in every day life.  So, instead of breaking my back at the gym (ungodly discipline) to look like I did when I competed for Miss Kentucky, I can learn to be content with a short 30 minute jog.  Instead of wanting the most perfectly organized home in the social media world, I could learn to be content with a disciplined chore routine that yields a happy home.  Instead of wishing for more money to spend on travel and entertainment  I could learn to be content with date nights by the TV and camping trips instead of cruises.

So you see, these three words seemingly have nothing in common but they all boil down to living a lifestlye of gratitude.  Maybe that should be "Word" this year...gratitude?

  When I worked for Chick-fil-A I found great respect for the company motto: "To Be Good Stewards Of All The Lord Has Entrusted To Us."  That's my goal this year - to be a good Steward.  I want to be a good steward of my time, my finances, my talent and my resources.  Be they plentiful or few, it all belongs to our King.  I'm just managing it while I'm here on Earth.


Comments

  1. I love your Word idea. Maybe I should do this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. and you should turn off the silly word verification thing when commenting ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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