Happy New Year!

I woke up with my New Year's Resolutions on my heart and so clearly focused in my mind, so I thought: "Gretchen, you need to write these down. Otherwise, you'll forget."  And then I thought, "Good idea!  While the coffee is perking, I'll write these down."  Good accountability.  Good organization, too--for writing things on paper is wonderful, but in my world, papers get lost.  But for better or for worse, the internet lives forevah.

Ready? 

EAT.PRAY.LOVE.  Nope, I haven't read the book.  Nor have I seen the movie.  BUT.  These words make perfect sense in terms of my long term goals--resolutions, if you will--for every day God breathes into me for 2011.

EAT:  Less.  That's about it.  I'll be 42 in a few months, and in these years, I've realized that I lurve food, and I use it for not only good reasons, e.g. n.u.t.r.i.t.i.o.n., but for ANY reason (ahem...sin).  I also know that cleanses, diets, and total deprivation don't work for me due to my self-sabotaging nature issues that God is working on in me.  What He just planted in my noggin is this:  Just eat less.  Eat with less hurry, less angst, less God-sized hole.  Let Him fill the hole.  Gosh, and now I'm hearing "There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza..." as I type.  Focus. 

PRAY:  Without ceasing.  Did I spell that right?  Ceasing?  It looks wrong.  Pray with perhaps more organization.  I'm pretty adept at praying for others when asked to do so.  I'm fair about praying over my family--especially when I need something.  But really, my prayers tend to--more often than not--be just vomited out to make sure I don't forget anything, and then I feel badly when I do forget, and then I get caught up in how we should pray...and then I get distracted.  SO...this year, I'll write a few more prayer requests into my journal, and use an acrostic like the ACTS or try the "5 fingers of prayer".  But mostly, I'll know that whatever I throw up there is heard with perfect ears.

LOVE:   Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  And love my neighbor (others) as myself. For me this looks a bit like asking the Holy Spirit to put verses like these few into motion:

Micah 6:8
Psalm 51:10
James 1:19

If I'm loving God well, loving my family, friends, and caring for the world around me will fall into place according to His will.  His will.  Not my stubborn, fallen, broken idea of what works.  His.


Soli Deo Gloria!