Ah, New Years

New Years has always been a big deal to me. I'm big on focus and simplicity.

Here are my basic thoughts...

*I want to live surrendered, at the foot of Christ, enjoying Him, and not getting all freaked out about making everything happen. No day is a waste if I'm here, in my heart. (Mary, John 11 & 12)

*I want to use my spiritual gifts until Jesus returns: encouraging, giving, intercession, missions, mercy. I don't want to look around and see if anyone gives me a thumbs up. i'm tired of that! I want to use my gifts for the Lord! (Col. 3:23)

*My marriage is going to get better every week! (Eph. 5:1)

*Raising up the girls in the truth and happy heart of the Lord; I want them to know Him intimately, not just about Him. Meeting more christian friends will be wonderful for them; praying about groups they will join.

*This year, we decide on Selah's elementary education, or at least the first year of it. Lots of research and prayer there!

*This year, I feel like I need to realize the clues when I am getting exhausted and stay very flexible regardless of who is inconvenienced. Lots of discipline required here, which is difficult in itself but gets much harder when I'm tired.

*We want to work on our house, since we are always, always here! For 8 years, we've really disliked some things and some were just gross (carpet where 4 dogs, um, lived.) I was the queen of the "only buy what you must have because we need to practice equality with our global neighbors" parade, and we have changed very little about the house. But, although I still feel the same way as i did during my "reign" as queen, I never fully got an answer from God about what to do in regard to this situation of living in "The United Excess of America" except "be still and know Me, and live by the Spirit. Do what you CAN do, don't worry about what you can't." Didn't get those specific rules I was hoping for. But through the process my heart got where He wanted it to be. So, I don't see things in such black and white, wrong and right anymore; I just sort of feel what we can do and what we can't do. What we can give and what we can't. It is not monetized or written law. It's harder this way, and I bet you I'm not even halfway correct in the way I'm living. But that balance will ALWAYS be a tight rope I'm conscious of walking.

So, there's my upcoming year--or at least what I think I'll be spending it on. Cheers!