I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions so much. As everyone claims this to be the year they lose 20 pounds, stop fighting with their little siblings, save more money, read more books...I often ponder just how many days it will take these people to break their promises to themselves yet again, and slink into the month of February with a real sense of New Year's letdown. Yeah, no thanks.
However, there is a bit of a conundrum here for me. I am typically a pretty goal-oriented person, so it doesn't make a lot of sense that I wouldn't make new goals for a new year. But goals seems a lot like resolutions, don't they? Perhaps there is a way to set a few resolutions without clinging to them so tightly that disappointment remains inevitable when we slip up. Well, without further ado, here are my goals, desires, and yes, resolutions, for 2011, for whatever they're worth.
I want to be more kind, genuinely kind. I feel that it has become far to easy to walk by someone, even someone I know well, and just say, "How's it going?" And without even waiting for a response, keep on walking. I think it's easy for me to get frustrated with people, show it on my face, and act on it in my attitudes. I don't want to be fake. I don't want a plastered smile. I want my heart to be genuinely kind and loving to others. I want people to see me and feel a great capacity for love pouring out of me. How does one go about working on this, I wonder? The only great love worth emulating is the love of God, so I know that I need to chase Him, follow by His example, learn about Him more, and love Him more.
I want to be more intentional with my friendships. It is so easy for me to fall into a pool of self-pity when the phone doesn't ring with weekend plans every Friday evening, when friends choose to do things with other friends... But maybe the problem is that I am not making the phone ring on the other end of the line suggesting weekend plans, or setting up dinner parties, or asking friends to come over for just some quality couch time together. I have great friends. I love them. But I rarely make an attempt to show them this in a real way. Not only do I want to be intentional with my time with my friends, I want to intentionally pray for them. Why do we only pray for each other when we have a great need like a sick child or an uneasy job situation? I want to share in my friends' joys and sorrows, lifting them up in prayer constantly. I want to learn from my friends. I have so many wise friends. I want to be able to say that maybe my friends learned a thing or two from me, too. I want no topic left unturned this year with my friends. I want to have more than just the "Hey, how's it going?" style conversations. I want to meet needs of friends rather than expecting them to meet my needs all of the time. I want to give of myself to my friends. I want to be intentional.
I want to grow a masterful garden. Okay, so this one is not nearly as holy of an endeavor at first glance...but I want to grow a big garden full of veggies and fresh things far too big for me so that I can share it with neighbors and friends. Then I want to cook and create delicious things in my kitchen and share those things with neighbors and friends. It will be a great adventure in hard work, dirty fingernails, and experiencing the joy of sharing.
There are so many other things that I would love to see happen in 2011. Read more books. Save more money. Get to know my brother better. Climb to 14,000 feet again. Meet my husband. Laugh more. Try new foods. Experience daily adventures. Get into grad school. Exceed work goals. Exercise a little. Travel more. Enjoy my sun porch. Dress my age. Sing from my heart.
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