My 3 Small Resolutions for 2017

Like everyone else, I love the idea of a new year and a clean slate but like I mentioned in my last post entitled New Year’s Resolutions For the Rest of Us , grand goals are not a realistic option for me in this stage of life. I’m currently a caregiver by choice (my own kids and a foster son who needs lots of care) and my days are never my own.

I did however make three small resolutions that I plan to focus on this year. I chose these things after some prayer because I believe they will feed my soul and help develop the gifts that God has given me so I can steward my “talents” well. (Matt. 25:14-30)

1. More Meditation.

I don’t have a lot of extra time for extended Bible study in this current season of life (toddler…hello.) and that has been a little frustrating for me. I’ve come to grips with the fact that God would have me meditate more right now with the time constraints I’ve been given.

Bible reading is where we find God’s truth. Meditation is where we commit it to memory by dwelling on that truth. Meditation/remembering is what changes us according James 1:25:

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Obviously, these verses need little explanation, but the gist is that in order to grow and change, we not only read carefully but we must choose to remember what we’ve read vs. “being a forgetful hearer”. Remembering—>leads to being an “effectual doer” because it changes our mind—->which changes our behavior.

As Matthew Henry puts it: “Mere hearers are self-deceivers.”

In Joshua 1:8, the Bible connects meditation as the tool that helps us obey:

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Meditating can be as simple as

• writing a verse on a 4″X6″ card and posting it where you’ll see it as you work
• listening to a sermon several times to cement the truths in your heart
• Singing Psalms or spiritual songs that talk about God’s character, promises, or providence in our lives.

2. Nurturing My Gifts:

God made me creative and I’m thrilled to be able to glorify God with my “pen and paint.” I love writing here on the blog when I have time, and am reading more about the mechanics of it. Last year I pursued some freelance writing and loved that. This year, I’d like to do more. Also, I want to learn a new type of watercolor technique that I’ve been putting off. And I am about to jump into a local knitting class for beginners.

Hospitality is one of my spiritual gifts and I’m eager to spend more time practicing hospitality this year after a slight decrease last year. I’ve found that God has opened up doors for me to spend more time mentoring younger moms because of Brayden. Hospitality and mentoring go hand-in-hand beautifully, and I’m eager to jump back into that now that Little B seems like he’s doing well.

3. Creating Margin

Believe it or not, I still struggle with doing too much. You would think that having mono would have taught me, but the tendency is still there. I really have to pace myself or my priorities can easily get out of whack. This means saying “NO” to good things in order to say “YES” to what God has called me to. Saying no to good things allows me to put the time and energy into the people, ministries, and priorities that God has ordained for my life, and it allows me to do it with joy, competence, and excellence. (vs. trying to do too much, being haphazard with tasks, and being unprepared or sloppy in my work.) I need to take small steps to feed my soul.

I have noticed that my mind is not as sharp if I am overstimulated or over-committed. I need silence and rest, so I can regroup and organize my thoughts. This means that I need the “Sabbath rest” and I have been intentional to get a few hours to myself on Sunday to rest, read, and focus on God. During the week, I need to turn off the notifications and scale back distractions, electronics, and noise in general because I have limits. Too much “input” robs my time to process, think, and meditate.

In The Overload Syndrome, Richard Swenson discusses the God-given limits we have, and how our culture suffers physically, mentally, and spiritually from general overload. (His chapter on “expectation overload” was astonishing–contrasting current day expectations in every area, like our homes, cars, kids, health, income, fashion, government, and retirement to our grandparent’s era and how all of this unrealistic expectation is robbing our joy.)

“We are not infinite. None of us has more than twenty-four hours in a day. We do not have an inexhaustible source of human energy. Limits are real, and despite what some Stoics might think, limits are not even an enemy. Overload is the enemy. As the Author of limits, God puts them within us for our protection. We violate them at our peril.”

So, there you have it. Three small changes I’m making this year. What about you? Did you make any small (or big) resolutions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Also, here are a few articles about planning that I enjoyed from around the web:

A Tradition for the New Year: Decluttering My Soul by Sally Clarkson

7 Killer Steps to the Best Missional Year Yet

Don’t Make Resolutions, Make Commitments by Paul Tripp

Happy New Year, friends.