RESOLUTIONS

Over the past two weeks I have been reading everyone's resolutions and goals around the interweb.  My family was never much for making resolutions, although I am positive my dad has been on a New Year's diet for the past 18 years at least.  (Just teasing dad, for anyone wondering in the past year and a half he has turned into a health eating, running machine-- finally making good on his lifelong resolution!) If I have had any resolutions of my own these past few years I am sure they were centered on working out and staying healthy, but they have never been anything that I given a second thought to by the time February 1st rolls around.

Now if you think I am getting ready to go into a spiel about how this year I am making resolutions and goals and sticking to them then you would be wrong.  I'm not making specific goals and I will tell you why.  But first, let me say, that for those of you who have (and who have posted these lofty aspirations on your blogs) I am not being negative about them at all.  I think it is really fantastic to focus ourselves and aspire to be/do/see things that we have not yet experienced.

I guess I should say that I did sit down to make some goals for the year of 2013, specifically for my business, which then led to personal goals.  But as I sat looking at my list  I started feeling a little uncomfortable. Most of my goals were very self-centered and all my sentences started with "I".  This repeated "I", "I", "I" and "me", "me", "me" made me go  hmmmm. Where is my heart at?  Why am I relying on myself to accomplish these things? Are these things that GOD wants me to accomplish?

I started asking myself these questions.  And I wasn't so happy with the answers.  Now let me clarify that I think God has given us brains and with those brains we can dream up desires and goals and work to reach things that can better ourselves.  BUT, in a lot of cases, and in mine for sure, I was making these big plans without even considering the plans that God has for me.  I stopped making my list and prayed.  I prayed for blessings in this year, blessings for my health, my family, my marriage and my business.  But I asked for these blessings only if they are a part of God's will right now.  It hit me that, although I would really like to be published, shoot with a well-known photographer and make X amount of dollars, that God may not want that for me right now.   We are mostly all wishing, praying and hoping against hope that the things we most desire, like success in our jobs, is exactly what 2013 will bring....but what if it doesn't?  What if, God has something different for you, or for me? Maybe I won't double my business this year--- but what if something else happens and I find a job that is SO perfect for me and my skills?  I am not sure I want to shut that possibility out by targeting my focus on very specific goals and perhaps despairing when those things don't come to fruition.

I think for me, it was time to re-define goals and resolutions.  To make some "plans" but only while listening very closely to what God has for me, because whatever He has, is sure to be right and good and much better than anything I could dream for myself. So this month and every month, I will pray that my heart is open enough and listening to hear what God has for me, and that in everything I am obedient to His will.  Of course there are things I want to accomplish, but no matter what happens I will continue to remember and remind myself that I am not the one in control and that the Lord has my very best interest at heart if I am actively seeking to follow Him in all things.

So, with ALL that being said... I can't wait to see what this year brings! For me, and for you!

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