Monday, January 04, 2016

Happiest of New Years! 2016! #thisyeariwill



https://www.facebook.com/melaleuca/photos/pb.106518779390896.-2207520000.1451934189./933119860064113/?type=3&theater

Happy New Year everyone!  I am back from visiting my parents.  We had a pretty good visit with them--I just wish I could spend a Christmas with my middle sister again.  It's been since before I got married that she was home at Christmas time.  Now that I have kids, I don't blame her--plus Michigan weather has been awful every year except for this year so I understand why she doesn't want to travel then.

It really hit me this visit for some reason that my time with my sisters is really limited now.  I get to see my oldest sister once every month or two, and my middle sister once or twice a year if I'm lucky.  Growing up, I NEVER thought about how we wouldn't be together every day, all day forever.  We can only hope that we really will get to be old ladies sitting on a porch swing together every day down the road.  I suppose I shouldn't leave out the fact that I have eternity in heaven with them, but since I don't know much about what that will be like and now is all I have presently, I just feel like every moment I get with my sisters is important.  My middle sis is going through a lot right now--moving and looking for a new church to serve in, so please keep her in your prayers.  (And secretly pray that she finds a church where I am and can move into my landlord's other vacant house a couple doors down so we can see each other more!)

I've been thinking about new year's resolutions and normally I like to be really specific, but this year I'm having trouble with some of mine.  Read my Bible every day is one I've had since I was probably 12--I did a lot better last year, but there is room for improvement.  Based off how far I got in my devotional book that I was going through, I read the bible on average 2 out of 3 days last year.  That's a lot better than I have ever done, but I can do so much better.  I pray every day all day, listen to Christian music, go to church almost every Sunday, watch inspiring sermons online, tell my kids about Jesus, read Christian books, and have lots of Christian pages in my newsfeed on facebook--but reading the Bible is the foundation for everything and while all of that other stuff isn't bad in and of itself, Satan really knows how to keep me from getting in the word so I'll make it my goal once more to dig into my Bible daily.

I told Hubby that I want to make it a priority to go out once a month for a date.  All my newlywed friends without kids go out once a week--but that's pretty much impossible for us.  I want to make our relationship more important than our kids.  That sounds bad, but if we aren't in a good place consistently for them, then we risk scarring them for the rest of their lives. Like, for real.  We both have also talked about how we want our evenings after we put the boys to bed to look like.  I'd like to play games once a week, and he'd like less screen time watching movies/shows.

Another goal I have relates back to my last post about my siblings.  I want to do so much better at loving my children and cherishing every moment with them.  It isn't specific at all, but I know I can do so much better.  When they are being disciplined (or whatever P.C. term you use), I want them to know in the end that I am doing it out of love and not anger.  This week is going to be HUGE challenge with that because Hubby is on a work trip so CJ is a complete puddle every other hour over "daddy" being gone.  Hopefully, he will feel better as the week goes on.

Finally, I am starting a new business that I am so excited about!  So I have a goal in mind with where I want to be by the end of the year with it, and I am open to adjusting my goal once I see how it is working from home.  You'll probably be hearing from me so I can tell you more about it, but after thoughtful prayer, I truly feel that this is where God has been leading me for some time.  Six years ago at the Urbana09 conference, God laid a burden on my heart to be caring for His creation.  I have found a company that aligns with everything that God has been showing me over the past 6 years, and I cannot tell you how exciting it is to find the perfect match after so long!  Since I graduated college, I've pretty much been saying to myself, "Ok, God gave me this passion, but how am I supposed to do anything with it?"  I couldn't find a job that matched where I felt him leading, I had a dog that kept me from going out (thank the Lord we solved that problem!!), then I had kids and couldn't/didn't want to work outside the home.  It's like finding your favorite shirt--the only shirt that fits you just right and makes you feel like Wonder Woman--after looking for it for 6 years (and a lifetime)!  I realize that some people think that the whole "green" or "save the trees" movement is silly, but I believe that it is in alignment with God's will to care for our bodies and our environment:  "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1  "For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.  In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:3-5 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Cor 6:19-20.  No individual can fix all of the problems with the chemicals we are putting into our bodies and into the environment, but it does start with one person and each one person doing their part adds up to a huge difference. That is a post on in it's own that I should write, but just a smidgen of what I see God saying on it.

So Happy New Year friends & family!  What resolutions are you making this year?  

1 comment:

  1. I would love to live near you!!!! I miss my sister. :(

    I totally agree with you that people think that the "green" movement is silly. God put us on this planet to care for it, not destroy it. Just like He put is in this body to care for it. I've never understood why Christians especially find it silly. It's important and we are TOLD to do it.

    ReplyDelete