I don't really like making New Year's Resolutions because a year is too long to make a goal for usually, and they're too quickly forgotten and often too ambitious. But I am making goals now that I will revisit often and change them as a I need. A friend asked me about 2 months ago what kind of goals I had right now, and I realized I had none. It makes life kind of stagnant without them. There are some that are personal goals that I'm not listing here, but some I am sharing. I hope that in doing so it will spark some ideas for your own goals, and to be a reminder that goals aren't always set to be stressful or unattainable, nor can you ever fully "reach" some of them since it's an ongoing process. Also, in writing this out it is good for me to come back and read it again throughout the year.
I don't want to waste my free time. I don't want distractions to dominate my life. I want to hear God when He speaks to me. I want Him to use me to reach unbelievers. I want Him to fill my heart with joy and peace even when I go through bad days, when satan fills my head with lies, and when circumstances in life feel unbearable. I want to "fix my eyes on things unseen." I want to know Him deeper, to sin less, to flee from sin quicker, and to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
I want to love so that "they will know we are Christians by our love." I want joy to brighten my face so that people ask where my hope comes from. I want peace to rule my heart. I want patience to be stronger than my temper. I want my kindness to be what helps me to give freely without selfishness and encourage others to do the same. I want goodness to be prevalent in my life, where evil and sin are scarce, and I win more battles than I fail. I want faithfulness to God to be deeper than ever - trusting in Him, not letting worry or anxiety to linger or distract me from Him. I want gentleness to be in everything I do - not harsh words, not anger, not annoyance, not being short with people. And lastly, I want self-control in my life to use my words carefully, to be disciplined in my walk with God, to not give into temptation, to get off the internet more often, to not waste my time, and not waste my thoughts.
To gain those things, I have ideas of how to better use my time, and it will be an exciting journey. Jesus was not born into a dangerous and sinful world and sentenced to death so that I could spend my life online, being sad about my job, or letting fears consume me.
"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." - John 10:10
What is a rich and satisfying life? I think it's when the fruit of the spirit are dominant in your life, when you are close with God, and when you don't waste your life. Our purpose is to be Jesus to everyone, everywhere, in whatever season of life you're in.
I have made a list of books I will be reading soon, videos to watch on Christian speakers talking, and other edifying things to put my time into. Besides good things to read and watch, a few other things I'm working on...
- Plan my week on Sunday nights. Be specific with my free time.
- One day a week for an hour, job search.
- Eat better. Seriously. I mean it. Look up healthier foods and recipes, and figure out what to bring to work since we don't have a microwave.
- Take some online photography classes
- Plan more specific times to be on the internet, what I'm going to do on there / for how long, and then get off.
- Go new places. A coworker told me about a smoothie place near KSU, someone told me they have the best biscuits at a place called Stilesboro Biscuits, go to some coffee shops in Atlanta, go to the park more often to walk and/or read books
- It's been 3 years since I graduated with college and I've held on to ALL teachers supplies and books and lesson plans that I thought I'd use. It sits in boxes and filing cabinets in my house. But in the next few months, I'm giving it away.
- Plan specific times to read the bible, pray, and read Christian non-fiction books (as I mentioned above)
- Be intentional with the people in my life as far as getting lunch/dinner/coffee, ask how I can pray for people more often, and use my time with people to have real conversations instead of talking about the weather or something
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