It’s that time of year for making New Year’s resolutions.. There’s wisdom in reviewing our habits, priorities, and attitudes to see what changes we should make for a more productive and fulfilling year.
If we were tending a garden, we would take time to weed it, water it, tie up the drooping plants, add fertilizer, seek counsel from experts, or do any other actions necessary to make the garden bear more fruit. And so it is with our lives, if we’ll take the time to work on changes that will be beneficial, and if we’ll seek guidance from the Lord, then we’ll see more fruit in our lives.
That kind of work will be tiring, difficult, dirty, unpleasant, and time consuming…but the farmer enjoying his harvest would say it’s worth it! Yes, getting our priorities right and weeding out the stuff in our lives that isn’t so good for us will be difficult; it will require self-control, diligence, determination, and humility…but the joy in our hearts and the harmony in our homes would make us agree, those efforts are worthwhile!
So get out a pen and paper, and start a list! Pray about it; ask God what changes He would like you to make this year. Meet with the family and encourage one another with some goals and accountability. Think about some changes you might need to make in the following areas:
Spiritual
* Have personal time with the Lord- reading your bible and praying
* Have family bible study
* Be consistent in church attendance
* Get involved in ministry opportunities- nursing homes, VBS, some other outreach
* Have a clear conscience- Guard your eyes and your heart from things that would harm you and those you love
RELATIONSHIPS
Ask forgiveness from those you have hurt
Be willing to forgive those who have hurt you, not because they asked or even deserve it, but because it’s what Christ did for us
Invest time in the lives of those you love
Begin a regular date night with your spouse
Begin a regular game night with the kids
Read a book together as a family
ATTITUDE
Be easy to approach, and hard to make angry
Choose to be a content person, not a complainer
PRAISE others, give them room to grow and be patient
Be dependable and diligent
Be trustworthy and humble
The list could go on and on…. But what’s on paper does little good, unless it reaches our heart… and then our feet and hands. So let’s set some goals and put some action with it! By God’s grace, this year, let’s be different. Let’s seek to please the Lord with our lives, and with His help, let’s make a difference in someone else’s.
A good movie to watch to start the New Year off is Not a Fan. You can watch it free on the following vimeo link:
Welcome to the Bates family blog! Gil and Kelly have been married since 1987 and have nineteen children. Twelve of their children have been married. They have thirty-two grandchildren. They have four children and eight grandchildren in heaven.
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