hello, two thousand fourteen.

January 02, 2014

Happy 2014. Two thousand fourteen. Did I really just type that?! That’s hard to believe.

First blog of the year, and you know what that means. Resolutions. I love the idea that we can start fresh, set a goal, dream big. There is hope and there is room for growth and/or change. It’s easy for me {and I’m sure some of you}, to believe that I cannot change. I am who I am and old habits die hard, right? Except, let’s not forget that the idea that we can change is definitely Biblical - “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”

I could make a list a mile long of hope found in Scripture - “Behold, I make all things new”, “I will give you a new heart”, “ask, and it will be given to you”, “but for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in it’s wings”, “He has made everything beautiful in it’s time”, “put on the new self”, “repent, therefore, and turn again”, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”, to name a few phrases that point to this amazing truth. Are you feeling hopeful? Because I am.

The past few days, I have been thinking about what’s to come - what’s in store for the next year. I’ve been thinking about this post - not to show off, or make a list because that’s what you’re supposed to do, but because I’m excited of what can be and it’ll keep me accountable. Also, to share my ambitions, goals and in that, share some of my weaknesses. I believe vulnerability is an amazing, life-changing thing. We are all human, all flawed, and what’s the point of putting up a pretense that we have it all together? I certainly don’t.

As I thought and prayed about some goals for the new year, God gave me this verse:

“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously - take God seriously.”

Micah 6:8

I love everything about this. A few things: I over complicate a lot of things just by nature, because I’m so wound tight and Type A, there are some relationships in my life that need restoration and let me tell ya - I take myself way too seriously. I wonder why God gave me this verse? {face palm}

I thought I’d break my goals into categories: relational, spiritual, personal and physical. Here goes.

Relational - Last year, my desire was to be more intentional in my relationships. I believe I made some very real efforts, but can take this even further. One thing that’s really hard for me is I can way too easily get caught up in the “to do’s” and this has an impact on my relationships. You know Mary and Martha? I so have the tendency to be Martha. I can get so fixated on lists, chores, and things that are of utmost importance {in my OCD little brain}, and miss things that are more important. I am so aware of this. And, also believe I have grown some. But, I notice that when I am stressed, that’s when I get sucked into tasks and chores to occupy my mind to try and put a bandaid on it, rather than deal with it. In order to put relationships above all else and be compassionate and loyal in my love, I need to be more intentional about casting my cares to God, rather than trying to just keep busy.

It’s so true, also, that my relationships with other people directly impact my relationship with God. I cannot be living as God called me to, if I’m harboring anger, unforgiveness, or if there’s any kind of conflict getting in the way. I know there’s some things God has placed on my heart regarding some relationships in my life and I pray there will be healing and new life.

Spiritual - “don’t take {myself} too seriously - take God seriously”. No doubt, my number one hindrance is myself. I just get in the way of everything. I’m a “let’s get it done” kind of person, so I tend to try and do everything on my own. I take on way too much, and don’t give enough up. I need to trust more. I need to stop trying to look out for myself and just simply let God. My goal here is to be more intentional in my prayer life. I’m such a stresser {didn’t I just say this?!}. That’s not trusting! I want to pray out loud more. Speaking prayers out loud is so impactful to me, as it’s the easiest way to get out of MY thoughts and into His. Especially when I’m being stupid, over emotional or selfish. When I start to talk out loud to God, that’s when I can hear how crazy I’m being and when things become so clear.

Personal and Physical - These aren’t as important, but kinda fun goals to think about, ya know?

I want to read more to the boys. Bedtime is my hardest part of the day because I just want to wind down and go to bed myself. However, rather than rushing it, I want to be more intentional about setting aside 15-20 minutes to read to them at night. I need to engage those little brains in a different format. Down with the Netflix, in with the books! {I’m ready for some opposition!}

I have already started this, but I want to engage the boys more individually. Example: Silas has started helping me with cook dinner and it’s kind of become our thing. I want to do this with each boy, as it’s so important to have that one on one time.

I want to start running again. I love it, I miss it, I need to do it. I work out every day, but running is like a release to me. I rarely get to do it because the boys are too big to push in a stroller and it’s just complicated. I’ve had the opportunity to get my game back on this past week in Texas and plan to find a way to continue it when I get home. I even have new running shoes awaiting me in an Amazon box on my doorstep. {Hurray!} I’m starting P90x3 when I get home and am so excited about this. I have big aspirations and want to be stronger than ever. I signed up to be a Beachbody coach at the end of the summer and have been too busy to really do anything with it. I hope to do more with this this year, as this is also one of my passions. I love being healthy, living an active lifestyle and making good food choices. {Oh yeah, I have been in a food coma for the past few weeks}{Holidays!}{Aack!}{Welcome back to reality!} Ha! I got off track there. What I was saying is I desire to help others as well. I know so many people that “want to be” healthy, but cannot get motivated or feel defeated before they even start. I want to help people reach their goals. I truly do. So, I want to continue to pursue this.

Wow. That’s a lot. Hey - dream big, right? Happy New Year, you guys. I hope you set aside some time to think about ways in which you can positively change during this next year. Every day is a new day, a fresh start. You can do it!

And last but not least, some photos from our trip.