New Year's Resolutions

I've never really liked making New Year's resolutions...everyone makes them with such good intentions...but how many people actually keep them?

As the New Year begins, I've made some life decisions, but wouldn't consider them to be "resolutions". I'm a wife and a mother...take these roles very seriously, as they are two of the greatest blessings I've received...my greatest one being my salvation and walk with Christ! Sometimes, though, I tend to worry about everyone else and making sure they're taken care of and doing well...not saying that's a bad thing! But I don't always take enough time to examine my spirituality, health, etc. and my life decision this year is to make more time for me and God...to grow my spiritual health and to make sure I'm rested and healthy, because the truth is that I'm no good to my husband or kids if I'm sick, spiritually unhealthy or suffering from burn-out.

We made a huge step of faith this year...a year ago, my husband and I discussed the fact we would eventually need to examine his job situation. It was in a sector of the work force which was unpredictable...he'd been through lay-offs once, there was a chance of that happening again and always the uncertainity about whether or not you would be hired back. His job was heading a direction he didn't want to be going and so he began thinking about looking for work. At that time, I began reading and praying through "The Power of a Praying Wife" and prayed almost daily about his job and for him to have a job which he was happy and fulfilled at. This summer, he received a job offer and after a lot of prayer, we accepted it and had to relocate our family. That was hard...we had to follow God's lead, as he's never failed us and he's our foundation...he grounds us and glues our family together. But it meant leaving friends, ministries, a job which I loved doing...and to move and start from the ground up! There have been a lot of tears, sometimes anger and depression, a lot of sadness, but the gradual realization that God has reasons for us being where we are...just because we've moved, it doesn't mean we'll never be able to talk with or see our friends...and we will eventually make new connections (it may take some time) and life will continue on...no matter what, our family will be together, and always have each other, through all our faith journeys.

We rang in the New Year with our friends who we said goodbye to earlier this fall. It was a lot of fun...our kids ran around with their friends and we played different varieties of board games and spent time visiting and laughing! Sunday we got to sit and listen to our friend preach his New Year's sermon...he talked about just like a winter blizzard makes the world look fresh and new, so does the Lord when we choose to be new in him. He talked about how God wants to renew and transform us, he's always working on us and changing us and he NEVER gives up on us...he continues to work on us! He said there was one statement he wanted people take with them, if nothing else..."No matter what your past may have been, your future is spotless!"

The one thing I found fitting was the scripture our friend chose for yesterday...it was a scripture which was on my husband's anniversary card this year, only days after we knew we were moving...it was a scripture a lot of my friends gave me in goodbye cards and a scripture I now claim weekly, as I continue in the transition of my new life, in a new city. I'm going to end with it, as I think it's probably the greatest realization that I'm going to take into this year and hopefully it will be a comfort or grounding rod for someone else as well! Thanks to www.biblegateway.com ...they make it a lot easier to quote scripture when you can cut and paste it...makes for less typing errors! I hope everyone will have a very blessed 2006!

Jeremiah 29:10-14(a) (The Message)
This is GOD's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.
"When you come looking for me, you'll find me.
"Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree.