Wednesday - first week back at school in the New Year, full of resolutions as always! But time is already flying by as we are at the half way point of the week.
Yesterday I read a verse which can easily be the verse of the year - Colossians 3:9, 10, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[a] with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." That's it - all the resolutions in one verse.
Perhaps we don't "lie" to one another around here, but maybe we lie to ourselves that we think we have put off our old selves, when really we haven't. We think we have put on the new self, but really we keep our old selves near by.
I also read an awesome Ann Voskamp inspiring post about growing the "gigantic impossible" this year, but by doing this with mini seeds of faith. Along the same lines, by a secular life coach, I read how any changes we want to make won't be or need to be huge, just little micro changes lead to big changes. AND, I also was reading a Bible study on how to make any new year's resolutions stick and it comes to this - you can't make resolutions about self-improvement for the sake of self-improvement, or as the pastor said on Sunday, you can't make changes to impress God. Every resolution, every micro change, every goal, has to be about more communion with God, knowing Him more, otherwise they'll never go the distance.
So, in January, as we have for years, after weeks of enjoying so much food and taking time to just relax, we are hard core again and enjoying the discipline that January brings. I welcomed it this year. I have wedding dress goals for myself, not that I have a dress yet, but I will be in pictures for years, too, so...it would be nice if I like how they looked!
I gave the pep talk with the kids and made some action points with them, too - what are the micro changes we can make, slowly, but surely? What are some example of old self and new self and "practices" that we can get rid of? What about being "renewed in the knowledge after the image of the creator"? I just like that there are so many "new" references. We need to be made new again - RE newed. I want to be "newed" - not nude, though same pronunciation, lol. I want to be new - again. I need to be made new every year, every day, every minute. Where will my newness goals come from except from the image of the Creator? I loved that, too. I can't make up fake goals - they have to come from what I know about Him which means I need to know Him to make the goals. Does He care how I look in a dress? No, but my body is a temple and He wants me to have my heart set on the things of the Spirit, not on the things of the flesh. That's a different kind of goal which is more long term achievable because it's backed by Scripture, not on just self-improvement. I think that's why we might see more long term success this year.
RM and I are also choosing the word FOCUS as our 2022 word of the year. We know we were spread rather thin last year, well, we always are, but more than ever. We have discovered that we are not just entrepreneurs, or serial entrepreneurs, but more multi-passionate parallel entrepreneurs - which is basically ADHD entrepreneurs. We have NO shortage of ideas and things we are passionate about. We never have enough time or money to pursue all things that come to our mind. Sometimes we feel badly about how we are wired, but then we ask ourselves why do we feel badly? This is how God has made us so is there a way to use our passion, our oneness, our visions, for good? We don't want to fight this bizarre gifting - let's work with it! But, then the word FOCUS....so we have signed up for some weekly assignments we are putting ourselves through that will help us brainstorm and focus for the year ahead. We are praying God will show us how to focus with what we've already started and and get rid of anything that is extra.
In the house, I'm attempting a major clean up as our friends are coming this Sunday to walk the property and see the house, Lord willing, and we'll begin the process of planning some potential renovations. I must hold on to what they are going to suggest with loose hands. I already have a white knuckle grip starting to form and every time I start to feel that feeling, I have to intentionally surrender dreams, expectations, everything right back to God and not demand or expect anything, except what He wants. Yet, deep down, or actually not deep down - completely upfront - I am very excited as my house is in such bad disrepair. We aren't fixing anything anymore knowing there could be big changes ahead. How I pray they won't find it too much and walk away! We only have 6 months before the wedding - I also pray that it'll be enough time.
Yesterday was a big day for RM - he finally got heat in his shop/winery. Our Bozo winery, as we like to call it, had to be heated last year with some hilarious makeshift insulation enclosures. They worked, but they were not best. The wine was spared and tastes great, but it was a lot of hard work. Now, he just turns on his thermostat and voila, heat. He walked around yesterday so excited. How he wishes he had had heat 10 years ago when he was working on tower contracts, but he didn't. There was no gas line to the shop back then. That came this past summer, so he's so grateful, so very grateful to have it now. Just by putting that in, we now have vastly increased the value of our home - I see how God is blessing RM and I'm so happy for him.
Now, we pray for contentment as covid restrictions have moved in again and brought potential depression as we are back to 2020 - not 2022....I wonder how long this will last!
It all adds up to the same thing.
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