A Look Behind

I have spent two days working on this blog post. We have had eye appointments this week down at Fort Bragg. We live an hour away from the base and appointments started at 9:00. Made for some early mornings. I adjusted my devotion time to get up earlier. What a victory for this momma who likes to sleep in! It was the Lord because I could not do it in my own strength. I got up at 6:00 every morning this week. Praise the Lord.

December 27, 2017

Every time this year I start to think about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. It is a time for me to evaluate the things I would like to change and to praise the Lord for the good things that happened the previous year.

I always try to make a list of resolutions for the new year.

Don’t we all.

Then when we get to the end of December we look back and see that we have failed. Miserably. Every year.

It is very rare that I keep all my resolutions. One or two may become habits but for the most part we fail to keep our New Year’s Resolutions.

Every year I try to figure out what I want to do for the new year and how to keep those resolutions. I still have not found an easy way to do that. And I think therein lies the problem. “I” and “me.”

I have been trying too hard to do things in my own power. Like I have super powers and can just change and be done with it. Like it going to be easy.

I have known people who have just said to themselves that they were going to stop or start something else and they just do it. I have never been that kind of person. I think the difference is that with most of those people I have known have done it in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what I have been missing.

I have learned so much this year about the Holy Spirit that I believe that I finally know the key to victory. It is walking every day in the Holy Spirit’s power and being obedient when He calls me to do something.

I have been trying so hard in my own power to live a perfect life that will be pleasing to those around me that I have lost focus of what it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31.

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

A short simple verse but it says so much. It does not say some but “all”. It does not say to find someone else’s approval but to the “glory of God.”

I asked the kids last night to start thinking about things that they want to do for the new year. I asked them to come up with a verse for the year and a focus word. I have been praying that the Lord would very clearly give me a verse and a word. He gave me a word a few weeks ago.

UNRIVALED.

When I was reading the Love God Greatly devotion for December 7 I came across a question they asked that has stuck with me.

“Can others look at my life and see God’s heart, alive and unrivaled?”

I know I wrote a blog post about this question already, but I have not been able to get it out of my head. The Lord will not let me forget it.

I decided to make UNRIVALED my word for 2018.

I also chose the word EXPECTATION.

I chose this word to remind myself that when I pray I need to pray expecting an answer from God. That He will keep His promises to me. Sometimes I pray and then am surprised when He answers me. I am praying this year with EXPECTATION.

The verse for my year has not come easily. Until this morning.

I was listening to John Piper’s Solid Joys podcast. He asked the question, “What is your aim?”

He shared the verse in 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17.

^“7 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The Lord immedietly led me to claim these two verses as my verses for the year. As I began to copy them into my journal the Lord led me to a third verse for the year.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 – This was my focus last year, but it is too good to have for just one year.

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

Three very good verses that I think fit very well with the words that he gave me for 2018.

I have also been challenged by a blog that I read. Lara Casey at Cultivate What Matters spends her ministry helping women especially decide what is truly important to them and then helping them find ways to meet those goals. She has been doing a wonderful blog series on Goal Setting. She has multiple steps but one of the ones that struck me was when she asked the question, “What is one thing I want you want to cultivate in the year ahead?”

God again gave me a word that popped into my head immedietly.

RELATIONSHIP

Here is what I wrote in the comments section for her blog that day.

“What do I want to cultivate in the year ahead?
RELATIONSHIP
With my Lord
With my husband even when we do not communicate well with each other and our expectations of one another are too high
With my 8 children even on those days when it is hard to like them
With my parents who are getting older and need more help from me
With the close group of women that God has blessed me with to encourage me and build into each others lives
With the teens and young kids in the class I direct at a local theater group
With the adults that will be cast in the play I am assisting directing this spring”

I think of all the people that God has blesses me with in this life I am walking, and I am so thankful.

This time of year is an excellent opportunity to look back on the year that will soon come to a close and count God’s blessing to you.

I am thankful for: My December Advent Journal

                           Our NC Coast to Mountain Jounrey

                           Directing and volunteering at Spiritual Twist Productions

                           Acting in Empowered, Scrooge, Cinderella and Daniel

                           Celebrating the Life of Wilson Brant

                           My September Biltmore Trip with Carl

                           The October Writer’s Weekend I went on with friends

                           A recommitment to my writing

I have given my children an assignment to do before New Year’s Day and I think it is a good one for everyone.

1.       Pick 12 books to read for 2018. Six must be nonfiction and the other six can be fiction. We are actually having a contest amongst the family members to see who can read the most books this year.

2.       Pick one word and one verse for 2018. I have been proud as several children came up with theirs right away and they were not funny words. One child said temperament, to remind himself when he is not having a God honoring attitude. Another child gave me a big hug and said he chose love to remind himself when he is not being loving to people.

3.       Answer the question, “What do you want to cultivate in 2018?”

I think sometimes we underestimate our children. We don’t think they will understand something or be able to accomplish something. My children have surprised me this week as even the little guys have really thought about these questions. I cannot wait until New Year’s Day when we discuss these things.

I encourage you to sit down with your family and talk about the upcoming New Year. What do you and your family want to accomplish for the glory of God?

Just one of my favorite pictures from our recent trip. Such JOY on their faces.