2019!  How can this be?

It seems like not that long ago, I was headed to a “Y2K” celebration as we entered the new millennium! (And, we were all relieved when there were no major catastrophes in the transition!).

Typically by the end of the first week of the new year, I have written a lengthy reflection on the prior year, then listed out my resolutions for the new year with detailed steps on how to accomplish each one.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?!

Yeah…

Well, that has never really worked out…at least not past the first month or so.  In fact, many of the pages of resolutions look oddly (and painfully) similar each year…UGH!

Am I satisfied with that?  NO!

Am I going to continue to do what doesn’t work?  NO!

That is the definition of insanity, right?  “Doing the same thing but expecting different results.”

Do I have a zillion things I need to improve in my life?  YES!

Yes, I want to be more timely, more organized, and less cluttered.  I want to be a better mom, do more awesome homeschooling, be more healthy and fit, more faithful in devotions, more attentive to our girls and better at memory keeping! I want to be a more respectful and responsive wife, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.  The list of needed and desired improvements in my life is pretty much endless, and immensely overwhelming!

I know I need to get up earlier in the morning and get going in the right direction, but, MAN, IT IS HARD!!!  I am not a morning person AT ALL.  (I doubt that I ever will be).  Kat Lee has an inspiring and practical book on “building a grace-filled, life-giving morning routine.”  I hope to put into practice some of her principles for having an amazing morning routine of exercise, devotions and planning, but for now,  that is too much!  When I look at the resolutions depressingly repeating year after year with minimal to no progress, I realize how much I need to just set an accessible goal!

 

SO, HOW ABOUT THIS?!

How ’bout just trying one new thing?

I do expect and believe that many areas of my life will improve this year, but so far I have only set one ‘official’ resolution that I have kept for fifteen days in a row:

Slide out of my bed

and to my knees

each morning

to begin the day with prayer.

And, there is good reason and necessity for this ‘resolution’!  For quite some time, I have woken up stressed, discouraged and overwhelmed, mostly due to the fact that I live in disorganization and procrastination!  Also, due to the fact that I would waste time until late in the evening and wake up exhausted.  Even my dreams were tumultuous.  In all honesty, MANY times, the first thing out of my mouth was  – well, let’s just say – not a word I would say in front of family or friends!   Before I even got out of bed, my day was already negative and on the downhill slide!

At the end of last year, the Lord brought to mind the simple notion of starting the day with prayer – before ANYTHING else!   It’s really not rocket science, right?  As a believer and follower of Jesus, it makes sense that starting the day talking to Him would get me off to right start.

This super simple, helpful, meaningful act has given me two weeks of peaceful days!  A few days into the new year, our youngest daughter woke up with me and I invited her to join me in prayer.  How precious it was when she, too, slid out of bed to kneel beside me and pray!

Not long after that, we all woke up together (lots of slumber parties in mom and dad’s room) and, of her own initiative, that same daughter slid out of bed to her knees and said a prayer to start the day right for all of us.

Some of the best things we can do for ourselves and our families are just simple things…

like kneeling to pray

first thing

every morning.

For you, though, it might be something different.  Perhaps it’s drinking one glass of water  as soon as you get up because you have GOT to be more hydrated; maybe it’s deciding to take a daily multi-vitamin; maybe it’s a phone call you need to make or an uncomfortable task.  Perhaps you need to start your day with 10 jumping jacks or quoting an inspirational saying or doing a few jumping jacks.

Whatever it is, I encourage you start 2019 by just doing…

that will improve, inspire and invigorate your life!  Once we’ve started doing that regularly, I’ll bet we can add another good habit, and then another and another…

May God bless your efforts and give you success, peace and joy in this New Year!

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The verses below remind us how important it is to start the day with God:  

Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near. – Isaiah 55:6