Out With Resolutions and In With Godly Goals

I am not a New Year's Resolution person. When I was younger, I use to set resolutions every year. I noticed that my resolutions usually where the same every year, and that must mean that I wasn't obtaining the goal. I almost dreaded the New Year because it was another glimpse of failure for me as a person. Being the smart person that I am, I realized that I needed to make a change. I knew God must have more for me to be concerned with than making the same resolution year after year.

I started seeking the Lord concerning this matter, and now instead of resolutions that come and go I take an inventory of where I am at in life and where the Lord would have me to go in the next year. This doesn't happen only on December 31st each year. I spend some time throughout the last week of December pondering these things. Last week as Michael and I were having coffee, he asked me what goals do we want to have for 2008. We break it down in our life. We have goals for the farm, the house, and the business. We also have personal goals as well as spiritual goals. We also look at our children and find areas that we need to address in each of their lives. This is also a great chance for us to celebrate all that the Lord has done in our life over the past year.

Our farm goals are simple this year. First and foremost we want to add a steer to our herd so we can raise our own beef. Michael is wanting to start a flock of sheep for meat also. This will require fence preparations and an additional structure added so that they can keep warm. We also want to enlarge the garden beds with the addition of 5 new beds this year. We are wanting to start a bed of strawberries. We will continue clearing pasture area from our damaged woods. We will also be clearing a spot to add blueberries on our hillside. This sounds like a lot of things to do, but it will be accomplished over the course of a year.

We take the time to write our goals down on paper so we can check to see where we are at throughout the year. I also spend some time on the last day of the year with my journal and the Lord. I write down a quick list of highlights of the year. I write enough to jog my memory when I read it later. I pray and ask the Lord to show me what HE wants of me for the next year. I write it all down so that I have a record. I will also take some time today to look back at what I wrote last year. I can quickly take an inventory to see what we accomplished and what still needs our attention.

This system works so much better for me than New Year's resolutions. Instead of failure, I find that it truly allows a heart of celebration for all that the Lord has done in our life. Usually on New Years Eve, our family plays games and then around 11:00p.m. we turn on some worship music. We take the next hour and have a time of family worship, and to ring in the new year we take communion together as a family. This is one of our sweetest times as a family.

grace and peace,

julie