Happy New Year!

Today's blog was inspired by a conversation with a friend and written for the Bethel Moms Ministry newsletter. Thank you Angela Cabrera for sharing your thoughts, struggles, and general disdain for resolutions with me. You're not alone. One day we'll get all of those digital pictures printed and put into albums! But probably not this year...

It’s January… the time when everyone makes their New Year’s Resolutions.  If you’re anything like me, maybe you have already made them... and broken them.

Which resolutions did you make this year? Lose weight? Exercise more? Yell at your kids less? Pray with more passion? Clean your house more than once a year? Get a good night’s sleep every so often? Finally organize and make prints of your digital pictures?

Yes. To all of the above. Okay, those really would all be mine if I actually made resolutions… (which I don’t) and the list could go on and on beyond that.

I really like the idea of making resolutions. I like the thought of trying to improve my life and become a better person. I really do desire to be the best version of who I am and become all God created me to be. But three hours after I make resolutions, I lose the paper where I wrote them down and...you know the rest of the story.

Sometimes I wonder if we’re really supposed to make resolutions at all.  (Yes, this is the justification I sell myself to keep from feeling guilty! If you’re like me, read on. You’re gonna’ love this!)

When you think about it, resolutions make us focus on the negative aspects of who we are. We are forced to ponder the things we didn't do well. We set our minds on areas where we have fallen short and ways we feel we didn’t measure up.

How is that helpful?

I understand that sometimes it’s good to reflect and make changes. There is certainly a time and a place for that. But not at the start of a new year.  Maybe not ever.

What if, instead of focusing on the negative, we focused on the positive? What if instead of making resolutions, we pondered what it was that we did fairly well this past year? For me, it would probably be a shorter, much more manageable list!

Things I have done well: 1.

Umm… I can’t come up with anything. Ok. Deep breath. Dig deep. Try it again.

Things I have done well: 1. My kids have never truly gone hungry. (I know it’s a pathetic first item but I’ve gotta’ start somewhere… and that doesn’t mean I have made gourmet meals or never forgotten to pack a lunch here or there… but generally speaking, they have been fed.)

End of list.

No, try again. Keep at it.

Things I have done well: 1. My kids have never truly gone hungry. 2. I started writing a blog. I enjoy it and have gotten positive feedback.

Hey, I’m on a roll! Keep going!

Things I have done well: 1. My kids have never truly gone hungry. 2. I started writing a blog. 3. This is really tough to do and my list is shamefully shorter than I expected.

It’s HARD to come up with the things I have done well. It’s very telling that we don’t think about the good things, rather we focus on the bad so often! If you had to do this same list for someone else, I’m sure you could come up with a hundred things… but try to it for yourself and it’s near impossible.

In Philippians 4:8, The Message translation of the Bible says, “…you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

Thinking positively about yourself and your accomplishments isn’t an easy task! But it is one that will certainly encourage you to go farther, and be more of who you really are - not who you wish you could be. There ARE good things, praiseworthy things about YOU! Celebrate them this year and grow in them!

What a relief to know that I don’t have to feel badly for not making and/or keeping resolutions. My list is coming along nicely. Things I have done well: 1. My kids have never truly gone hungry. 2. I started writing a blog. 3. I no longer feel guilt over how I didn’t measure up last year.

I’ll do my best to keep adding to this list. Make sure you take a moment to come up with yours. It’s tough… but well worth it! Happy New Year!