New Year A Fresh Start....

Happy New Year !   

I can scarcely believe that 2013 is over and we are starting fresh and new. I like millions of others are contemplating what our New Year resolutions should involve. If you are like me, I fail miserably making resolutions. I want to change so much about myself that I quickly become overwhelmed and give up.

If I wrote my resolutions down every year they would look something like this..

** No fear family I don't drink or smoke and I don't have an ex. or a job.  LOL  

 I've come to realize a major fear I have. I'm afraid to fail. I don't know how to explain it in a better way. I've been afraid to fail in a lot of major areas. I'm afraid I'll fail as a friend, as a wife, as a mom, as a grandmother, as a Christian. 

As a child I never learned how to roller skate, ice skate, snow or water ski, swim, climb trees-gates-or fences, jump off porches or from the back of truck beds. As I would attempt to do these things fear rose up in me. It froze me in place and gripped me. 

As a teenager I never joined in after school events. I didn't try out for the cheer leading squad or the tennis team. I didn't try out for a part in one of my favorite musicals. What if I couldn't do it. What if the other kids laughed at me. What if I failed. 

I quit going to college. What if I flunked out. 

What if I failed. 

What if I could never get a job. 

Fear ruled over me. 

I am setting goals this year. Goals that are attainable. 

I am going to ask God to help me overcome my fear of failure. I know it's OK to fail. 

I have family, friends, and a God that love me. 

The Bible tells me 365 times to "Fear Not" I want to Fear Not. 

I know those of you who know me well will see my 2nd goal is a biggie.  

I want to talk less and Listen more. 

OK, you can laugh here. 

I'm waiting for you to finish laughing. 

OK that's enough. You can stop now. 

I want to love myself more by 

doing some things that will be good for me. 

I want to eat less processed foods and

 drink more water. 

I want more family and friend time

more pictures

more dinners

more silliness 

I want to put God first in Everything. 

I want to Value God's word by Studying more. 

I Want to Know God more intimately.

I want to share God's great love and Christ's sacrifice. 

I want to take a few minutes everyday to be still and Listen 

for His voice. 

I talk a lot to Him too.. and then forget to listen for what He has to say. 

I want to give more. 

Laugh more. 

Appreciate more.

Smile more.

I want to celebrate more. 

I want to Love more. 

Some goals I will struggle with. Some will be a breeze. 

I love taking pictures and being with friends and family 

Those will be easy. others will be more of a struggle. 

I am confident that putting God first will be the key to all the rest.

I'm praying for you as the New Year begins. 

I'm praying that you will begin 

or renew your relationship with God. 

He is the one that has plans for you, 

and He'll help you achieve success.. 

New Years Goals and INTENTIONS: A Better Solution

I've started on this Goal setting/INTENTIONS things for the New Year.. you may want to go back a day and read the first part of my Goal setting/Resolutions/New INTENTIONS entry. this will make more sense to you if you do...

I went to bed last night thinking about it and awoke at 5:00 am still thinking about it.. There is so much to this goal setting thing.. to my intentions.. I need to make a list.. That is one of my goals for this year.. List making.. I think if I had a list that I could mark stuff off of I'd feel more successful. My cousin Sharyn, who has a fab blog of her own (http://www.sharyntormanen.typepad.com/) makes lists.. EVERYDAY.. and she marks stuff off.. She is a stay at home mom raising 4 children, keeping a house, and working from home. I want to make a list.. oh, I have made mental lists. LOL some days I figure if I did the dishes or cooked supper that is achievement enough, but if I had a list.. of all the stuff, big and small.. hmmm I may just try it. I'll let you know how it goes..

Another thing I want to do this year , I want to be more thankful. Dearest husband asked me to go out to the flea market with him yesterday. I had just gotten home from Church and had about a gazillion dishes to do.. and there is still the odd and end Christmas stuff that needs to be washed (dishes and linens) and packed away. I hadn't even gotten a chance to go through the Sunday paper coupons yet.. What was that crazy man thinking.. I can't just up and leave for an hour on a Sunday afternoon to go off looking at more stuff we don't need.. good grief, I have tons of stuff I want to get rid of. I'm almost to the point to just giving it to whoever shows up at the door. well, to continue.. I said no and worked on my dishes.. after he left, I had some real regret.. We don't often do things together.. He is not into grocery shopping or going to wally world.. or a lot of the activities I am involved in. We do go out with friends for dinner on occasion.. and we go visit them regularly.. we go to the Doctor together. and watch some of the same shows on tv (if he will leave the remote alone long enough for us to watch a program) but as far as going out goofing around, not so much.. I have things to do.. I realized how very insignificant my dish washing time is when compared to my husband wanting to spend some time with me. Thank God he does. So the dishes wait for an hour or two longer, that's really no biggy. I apologized for not going when he came home, and made a mental note to make sure I'm paying attention to him. It's easy to take the ones we live with and see everyday, the ones we love for granted. so I want to be more thankful this year, and I want to spend time with those I love. The dishes will wait.

I read in another email today about "being there".. I want to work on being there.. the article talked about how calling or sending a note is not the same as being there. I want folks to know I care enough about their lives to be there.. at the grands ball games, concerts, T-Ball practice and games, special programs.. there is nothing like being there. I don't want to miss a thing.

Then there are the Spiritual goals I want to set.. (I made a list of these in 2000, I look at them each year and renew my intention of keeping them) some of them include:

being faithful in Prayer, giving the tithe plus, seeking after wisdom, being the most effective witness I can be, speaking the Word with Boldness, giving God what He wants, Living by conviction and not preference, walking in Victory, Having extreme Faith, sharing Christ with everyone, and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.

As I look through my goals and intentions for the New Year.. it seems kind of overwhelming.. goodness sakes it is overwhelming.. I want to work on doing Everything better. I think about it all the time, but I don't do it.. I see myself as doing OK, but wanting to do better..

God and I talked about it again this morning.. setting goals for the New Year.. looking through my intentions.. and during our time He led me to read a little thing in a devotional book I just picked up yesterday.. " Pam Editor of "The Journey" (lifeway.com/women) : There is value in setting appropriate goals, but for a Christian there is only one essential resolution: to love, follow, and obey Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind. (Matthew 22:36-37)"

I think that pretty well sums it up.. I can't do any of this stuff on my own.. my good intentions are rarely ever carried out.. Loving, following and Obeying Jesus will help me change into the woman He wants me to be.. He will see that am kinder, more thankful, visit more, that I am compassionate, and loving.. He will see that I give more.. He will help me find time to read more and to write those letters, and to make those long overdue phone calls to loved ones and friends. He will help me get things in order and set my priorities. He will help me to be less judgemental and more forgiving. So My New Years Resolution/Goal/INTENTION will be to Love, Follow, and Obey Jesus with all that is in me..