Goodbye 2015 - Hello 2016

Goodbye 2015 - Hello 2016! I'm looking forward to some really great things this year - like more blogging, more reading, a more active lifestyle and more time spent in prayer.  Whatever your new plans or ambitions for the next year are, let's all remember to balance them.  Is this important to God, or just me? How will making this choice (or ignoring this problem) affect my family and future?  Do I have all the facts? Am I showing genuine love?  It's easy to get caught up in a crowd and what they think is important this year - much like the fashion industry sets the tone for our shopping choices.  But always, always, always, dig deep for what is true and what is good - not just what is popular with the age. You likely won't find the true and good if you're not looking for it to begin with.  

Wishing you a very joyful and proactive new year!

Rebellion

Rebellion.  I'm not a parent of a teenager and I haven't pulled somebody out of their rebellious fit, so I don't have answers when it comes to a rebellious spirit.  What I do have is some observations of what doesn't work and then my own heart that is tempted with rebellion from time to time.

Rebellion defined: The action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. 

Personal rebellion isn't usually organized or reasonable.  It's emotional.  Pride and self-preservation are fierce competitors of being told you're wrong, for any reason, in any situation.  Humbling a rebellious spirit isn't something that just happens or someone can be pushed into.  It takes a relationship, kindness and a whole lot of prayer.  And even then it can be a gamble.

So, here are a few things that I've never seen work (on myself or anyone else).

Nagging: It's good to make your position known and clear.  But once that is done a constant chatter of how wrong they are usually just swells up the rebellion for rebellion sake.  If boundaries should be involved, enforce, but don't be a broken record.

Smug Looks and Condescending Words: Maybe you are 100% right and they are sooo wrong.  But an "I told you so" or a "You'll see" is not going to soften a rebellious spirit.  Ugliness on your part can only strengthen their feelings against you, no matter how right you might be.

Beating a Dead Horse: Whether it's a 16 year old with an attitude or a grown man with a vendetta, saying or doing the same thing over and over isn't the solution you're looking for.  With reckless and unwise behavior, lines sometimes have to be drawn and subjects have to be revisited.  But if you catch yourself taking the same approach, the same song and dance with no results, no apparent effect, then take the hint and do something different.

It seems pretty common that when someone disappoints you, you assume that if they just understood why you're upset with them then they would fix it.  And even more often when they don't seem interested in fixing it, we assume they must not have understood us the first time.  Maybe, but probably not.  Right or wrong, rebellion is emotional, rash and not easily controlled from without.  It's a heart problem.

Let's talk about 2012..

I know, I know.  Christmas isn't even here yet!  How can we even think about 2012?  If you're like me, waiting until December 31st  probably means nothing is going to happen!  So, to help my family and I enter 2012 with vision, passion and follow through, we need a plan.  Here are a few questions I'm going to try to answer for myself to narrow down what's really important and what I need to do to accomplish that.

-What big events are happening for me/us in 2012?

-How was I disappointed in 2011? What things could I have done to change that?

-Does the amount of time I spend every week proportionate to my/our priorities?  In other words, are we spending the most time on the most important things?  If not, how can we change that?

-Who do I want to be closer to this next year?

-Who/what needs more attention this year?

-What areas of my life am I ashamed of?  What can I do to improve them?

-If I (or a close family member) were to die tomorrow, would that change any of my answers or shift my priorities?

-Have I considered the eternal consequences to all of these things?

What kind of a year do you hope to have? Prosperous, healthy, peaceful, contented, generous?  Let's begin envisioning that year today! 

A 5 Day Edge

Weight loss and lifestyle changes are on everyone's lips right now and I LOVE it!  It's always great to see others succeed in this area and right now its especially encouraging to me in my own hill I have to climb.  The hardest part is always getting started and sticking with it for more than a couple of days.  If that's where you are at, don't quit yet!

After about a month after having Jude, I was starting to ease my way back into exercise.  Right before the holidays I felt good about where I was at and hopeful about my progress.  Then I got sick.  And Randy got sick. Then New Year's activities left me with little sleep or exercise.  Long story short, any good feelings about my progress had been swallowed up.  Sooooo frustrating!

Today was my 5th day in a row to workout and I feel awesome!  Once your body gets the message that you're not just doing something out of the ordinary today, but really trying to make this a regular thing, it finally jumps on board.  The motivating exhilaration I felt because of the success makes me want to keep it up.  There is nothing like it.  The key is keep it up.  As long as I'm doing what it takes to eventually be the size I want, I don't get impatient about not being there yet.  So, whether it is exercise or anything else in the resolution bag, let's keep it up and not quit together!

Well, What Did You Expect?

In many aspects (if not most) of my life, I've been different since birth.  I'm strong-willed, very sensitive - in physiology and psyche - and think far too much.  Quite often in my dealings with other people, I was relentlessly reminded of how others just weren't like me.  And though when it comes down to it, I can't and don't want to be just like everyone else, I continually catch myself wallowing in the "But its not fair!" pool.  This difference usually results in things taking longer, requiring more work, or just not happening for me.  Even though I know all of that, I still get oddly optimistic ideas in my head that this time things will be different (easier, faster, less painful).  All of the major milestones that I've achieved (marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, etc.) have consistently proven to me that I'm different and expecting anything else is foolish!

In typical fashion, I honestly thought/hoped that baby weight wouldn't be a huge issue for me.  It is.  In typical fashion, I didn't plan on life with Jude being more complicated. He's not gained weight as he should, found out he's an inefficient eater and we're now nursing for 40 minutes every two hours! In typical fashion, I didn't think working part time with Jude would be a big deal. I'm starting to fear it will be.  I always underestimate how sensitive I am to large crowds, excessive time around people, lack of sleep and stress.  

So, here we are at the front door of 2011 and resolute change is on everyone's lips.  The reason New Year's resolutions are so cliche is because most people are UNresolved by February or March.  And when you attack something cold turkey without real insurance of change, well what do you expect?  For me, change has never come over night and certainly not as simply as I'd like.  So, the key to my success this year has nothing to do with a resolution, but wide-eyed acceptance of how I am and perseverance towards my goals of improvement. Slow and steady wins the race.

Instead of falling into the cliche, why not take an inventory of how you really are and work with that rather than expecting things that just aren't realistic, like working out 2 hours a day when you've never been in a gym before or vowing to never eat another cookie, EVER!

Ready Or Not, Here Comes 2011

2010 was the year of the baby for us, as well as many others.  As  2011 is about to be upon us, I've been thinking about the past year and how things went.  What went well, what I could have done better, that kind of thing.  One of the things that pleased me the most about this year was of course Jude, but specifically that I was able to have him at home successfully without any complications.  It was a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for it!  And while none of it was possible without God's protection, we did plan and prepare for it almost the entire year.  

What do you want out of 2011?  Whatever it might be, how much effort, planning and thought are putting into it?  The reason that New Year's resolutions get a bad reputation is because we just will things to be different in our minds, but do very little to ensure success.  There was a lot to my 2010 - many changes, many failures, but some really significant victories.  My failures were from neglect - lack of attention, lack of effort.  My victories were from fierce commitment and prayer.

I'm convinced that you can do anything you truly desire, commit to and work at.  The problem we usually have is the follow through, which proves how important certain things really are.  How many hours last year did you spend working towards those goals you set last year at this time? And then how many hours did you spend playing video games or stalking on facebook? I'm as guilty as the next guy, but its a point we can't ignore.  If something is truly important and we really expect change or progress, we have to spend the time, work, and preparation for it.

Before the week is out I am going to sit down and think about what I want out of the coming year.  I hope you will too and I would LOVE to hear some of your thoughts.  Accountability is a fabulous thing!