I have simply been soaking up my friends and family and trying to make the season last as long as I could! I decided this year to re-prioritize and not be "doing" the whole time. I wanted to enjoy the season and not be stressed out by the end of it and miss out on so many blessings. For instance, I made goodies for my neighbors, because I wanted too-not because I felt like I had too. I will have to remember this strategy next year! It made for a much more enjoyable time. Now as a downside, I'm paying for it by having to play "catch up" on all the things I left alone! But it was worth it!
The Lord really blessed me with a lot of time with my family~good, quality time like I'd hoped for. (There is a difference!) Family is a funny thing. They know you better than anyone else, and they can get under your skin more than any one, but they also love you more than other people. I re-read my last few posts of my hopes for the Christmas season and I can see just how much God was listening! I will treasure this time for a long while.
But, Christmas is gone now and it's time to look towards a new year. Many people are making New Years resolutions and trying to make a new beginning. I must admit, I've never gotten into New Year's Resolutions much. I see them more as a way to disappoint myself because chances are, they won't stick! One of the things I asked my husband for, for Christmas was the new Beth Moore, 90 Days with the One and Only series. Everyday for the next 90 days, I'll be learning more and more about my Savior. It has been good so far. I find myself debating on doing more than one day because I want to keep on reading! (and that's always a good sign!) Everyday I write out a prayer and I am reminded of how often I used to keep a prayer journal. I haven't done it in a while~on a consistent basis. I love to go back and read my prayers and see all the ways He answered them. Little, tiny ways that otherwise I would have missed. He cares about all the tiny details of our lives, details that we often don't tell Him about. He knows what's on your mind, what's bothering your heart. He knows what you wish you could change about yourself and about all your dreams for your future. Those are often things I think we overlook to tell Him.
I'm about to tell you a personal-inside-thing, but I'm in a conversational mood, and I feel like sharing! In this devotion book, my husband wrote me a little something like he always does when he gives me a book. (It is always my favorite part of the book!) This time part of what he wrote said, "There has been and will be no better man to walk this planet. I hope to be more like Him so that I can love you even more." WOW! I can't tell you how much I thanked my Lord and Savior for giving me a man like him!
His simple statement really stuck with me. The more and more I thought about it, I couldn't help but see that simple statement as my personal "New Years Resolution" if you will. If I knew Jesus more and tried to become more like Him, I couldn't help but love those around me-even more. It would be easier to love those who aren't so easy to love. It would be easier to be who He wants me to be this year-and less of all the expectations I have for myself. He could have a whole set of other plans for me; plans I'd miss out on if I didn't strive to be more like Him.
So that's my Life Resolution (forget just for the New Year!)-To know Him more and to be more like Him. I pray I'm more successful at that than I've ever been at any other resolution!
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
~Proverbs 16:9
*I just re-read my last post and saw that I used this same bible verse. Both times, it was the verse that the Lord brought to my mind. Do you think He's trying to tell me something :-) I love when He does that!
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