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| Do you have a favorite spot to curl up and renew yourself? |
2012: Here We Go!
Well, dear Reader, it's the beginning of another year...can you believe it? This October will mark three years of Ordinary Wonderment. Three years of recipes, party ideas, anecdotal essays & stories, photos and (beginning in 2011) a chronicle of my walk with God. Looking back, I'm amazed how my little blog has evolved! So many lessons and oh, so much joy has been recorded here. Can't wait to see what comes next!
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| What makes you comfortable? |
In thinking about where I want to focus my energies in 2012, I picked a new word. (For more on picking your own word click here.) Last year, my word was relinquish and true to form, I found myself letting go of many things in 2011. Like always having to be in control and being so tightly-wound. I let go of the need to cram my free time full of everything I could possibly fit in. I let go of defining myself by what I drive (a sneaky little lesson I didn't even know I needed to learn).
Most importantly, I relinquished control of my life to Christ. I decided to follow Him and do His will--fulfilling His purpose for my life. And for the very first time in my life, I am at peace with who I am and how my life is going. It's definitely not perfect, and not quite where I pictured myself at 35. But I've never felt so richly fulfilled as I do now. And that is beyond worth.
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| Where is there an over-abundance of cuteness in your life? |
My word for 2012 is humility. While listening to Moody Radio a few weeks ago, I was struck by the distinction Dr. John Dickson drew between modesty and humility on Chris Fabry Live. Dr. Dickson defines humility as "a noble choice to forego your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself." This is different than modesty in that you're not so much down-playing your own accomplishments as choosing to further the interests of someone else before your own. Like Christ did when He humbled Himself by taking human form and dying on the cross for our sins. Now, I recognize the dangers of blogging about this--it can easily come off as tooting my own horn. What I want to emphasize is that choosing to focus on humility in 2012 is not about making me look like a better Christian or a better person. In fact, this is an area that I struggle with.
Choosing to be aware of how my thoughts, intentions and actions affect others has begun to weigh heavily on me in recent months. In my heart, I know it's God nudging me to be more mindful. Does my influence enhance others' experience of God or does it take away from it? Am I reflecting the love of Christ? Am I drawing people to the incredible love I've found or am I turning them off? If I live my life just like everybody else, why should they change? Of course, being an imperfect person means I will always struggle with this. Still, I want to be more mindful of my influence in 2012.
I'd also like 2012 to be the Year of Organization. Reader, have you ever felt something big coming on the horizon but you're more afraid than excited to find out what it is? For me, that's often because my 'house' is not in order. The clutter that is my life puts a damper on moving forward and being ready when God presents me with the next opportunity He has for me. I worried less about this when I was driving my own life--mostly because I had no idea where I was going. But now that I've accepted my role in His plan, I better be ready when He calls me up. That means knowing what gifts and resources I have and where to find them when I need them. No more excuses. It's time to fully-organize.
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| A place for everything and everything in its place. |
I started last week with cleaning closets, my desk, my bedroom and (because we got a little warm weather) my car. This week I organized my jewelry & accessories (no small task) and am gearing up to tackle the mother of all organizing projects: the storage room. Until the dreaded storage room is clean and all unnecessary junk has been removed, there's no place to put the boxes I have in the garage...and the dining room...and the kitchen...and on the downstairs landing...and in the upstairs hallway. Oh, I forgot the basement. See? I'm a total mess--so if I can do this, so can you.
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| Only thing a cat loves better than houndstooth sherpa: a loose string. |
Ok, that's my plan for 2012. Well, that and to have an amazing time loving God and his kids. What about you, Reader? What has to happen for you this year? What's non-negotiable? What can you accomplish with just a little effort? What can you let go of that will help you feel free? What small thing will bring you some much-needed joy? If this turned out to be your last year on this Earth, what would you do with it?
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| Do you have an inspiration board to keep current projects, ideas and thoughts front and center? |
It helps if you share your goals with others who will annoy you later with questions about them. It also helps to stop often and be grateful for something--even if you aren't where you want to be yet--appreciate the things that are going right in your life. You never know when they might be gone. That goes for the people in your life too.
Thank you, dear Reader, for continuing on this journey with me. I can't wait to see where we'll wind up next.
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| Are you keeping the big picture in sight? |
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