Archive | Goals

Obedience in the Nitty Gritty

January 21, 2013 By Jeniffer

Every year, people start their year off with resolutions. Sometimes they are lofty goals with no real plan of action: “I’ll lose x pounds,” “I’ll start exercising,” “I’ll get organized…”

Sometimes the resolutions are simple enough, but they are easy to forget. Last year, I wrote that I wanted to be purposeful in my life. I wrote out phrases on notecards and set them around the house. Some are still up. Some were taken down ages ago.

I did start living with purpose in some ways. I am spending much less time on the computer and finding other ways to keep in touch online throughout my day. Instagram has become my favorite way to keep in touch, and now I have an app that lets me write posts on my phone! This transition comes more from Abby demanding my attention than from a resolve to do better, though.

As a result of Lily’s food sensitivities, I also have had to start planning meals out better. This is following me into the New Year as we are working in managing our money better, too.

Overall, I think that last year’s resolve to be purposeful did happen, even though it was more out of necessity than because I made up my mind to do it.

This year, my resolution is again fairly simple. I thought I needed to work on thankfulness, but really I need to be obedient.

I love Ann Voskamp’s blog A Holy Experience, and you may have heard of her book One Thousand Gifts. Most of her writings are about being thankful in all things and for all things. I kept a gift journal the year that Abby was born, but I stopped after 1,000. I need to be obedient and pick this habit back up simply to be reminded of the good and to remember that the seemingly bad does in fact shape me and draw me closer to my Father’s heart.

It’s not just thankfulness, though. I need to be obedient in the everyday. To choose to be obedient in my attitude, in my thoughts, in my actions. Will I spend my days concerned about my daughters and their short days as babies, or will I squander my time? My calling is to mother them, shape them, and love them, and can I really do that well if I”m never mentally present with them? I am also told that I need to be obedient in how well I keep my house (Proverbs 31 and Titus 2). If I am not actively working on keeping my house clean, I am not being obedient to this command. Some days will be easier than others, and some days I will fall behind miserably. But when I fall, I need to fall forward, focusing on doing better instead of feeling bogged down by my failure. We’ll see how often I remember this.

I’m also spending more time reading the Bible these days. More time reading, meditating, percolating in the life-giving words. It’s where obedience came to light, and it’s where I find over and over again that obedience out of love brings joy, not bondage. Another way I’m being obedient is by putting the Word to memory. Like Melissa, I’m participating in The Romans Project, and even though I’m still on the first two verses 3 weeks in, I know that I need this. I need to know that Paul identifies himself as a servant of Christ Jesus, that he was called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. I need to know this because I need to live it. If I’m really a servant of Christ Jesus, I will have a single-minded goal, and my life will follow through.

Obedience will take several more forms this year, I’m sure. And I know that it won’t always look pretty or put together. Life rarely does when we’re actively looking for ways to invest in others.

What do you hope this year brings? Do you have a word or phrase to share? We look forward to “sharing life in the nitty gritty” this year with you!

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One Thing That I Desperately Need in 2013

January 7, 2013 By Melissa

It is that time of year where everyone seems to be talking about resolutions and goals. Reflecting on my goals for last year, I find that once again I fell a bit flat. But I don’t think that means I should cease striving, reflecting on how I can make this year everything it should be.

Ann Voskamp (who Jen and I both adore, in case you haven’t picked up on that yet) shared a beautiful post last week, “The One Habit God Really Wants for Your New Year.”

I loved this quote in particular,

This is how you make the calendar for the year: you set Christ at the center.

This is the question: Will you spend your days meditating on His Word or your worries?

This is the resolution every new year needs — a revolution: A turning every day to Christ.

I feel the need for that in my heart, desperately, as I start this new year. A turning every day to Christ. Christ as the center. It’s the only way that I can survive this year. Our family is preparing and hoping to go to Papua New Guinea in the early part of January 2014 to serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators. That makes this year one that is sure to be full of excitement, challenges, busyness, travel, stress, joy, emotion…. And intense, desperate need for the One who gives me strength, as we juggle all the preparations involved in saying goodbye to one country, moving our life and family of six (soon to be seven) to another.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:1-8

Ann suggests three things to help set Christ at the center. One word for the year – last year, I had a phrase, “Intentional Living.” One thousand gifts – this is based on her book by the same name. And one Scripture memory project.

My word for this year is “Gratitude.” God has been showing me through so many things how key this is to focusing on Him, and letting no bitterness or discontent creep in. Gratitude.

I started reading “1,000 Gifts” earlier this week. I’m excited to start counting the many gifts God gives me every day, all the way up to 1,000…. And more.

My Scripture memory project is Romans 1, 8, and 12. Ann is hosting the Romans Project, so I know there will be lots of encouragement and accountability for this particular project. Romans 8 also contains some of my favorite verses, and I am excited about committing them to memory.

What are you focusing on for 2013? If you have a “word” or memory project, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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Living Intentionally: A Confession and Evaluation

September 24, 2012 By Melissa

I started this year determined to focus on living life intentionally. We were doing family game nights, I was doing monthly meal planning, I wanted to be sure the year didn’t slip away from me. Well now it is almost October. we only have three months left in this year, my year of living intentionally, and honestly? I feel very conflicted about how I’ve done.

We let family game nights slip. My husband was (and still is) working a ton of hours, and it was really hard for him to commit to it. I felt bad doing a “family game night” that didn’t include him.

My monthly meal planning has gone out the window. I haven’t even been doing weekly meal plans!

On the other hand, our family finally took the step forward to join Wycliffe Bible Translator. As I shared in my post about the changes coming for us here, this is something we have felt called to for several years now. Our application process was intense, and took a lot of time and mental and emotional energy. My husband and I are currently completing an on-line training course that takes several hours of work each week, and next month our family will go to Florida for two weeks of training at Wycliffe USA’s headquarters. We’ve accepted an assignment in Papua New Guinea, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

I think living intentionally is still a great focus for this year. We have done that in a major, life-changing way! But I do feel the need personally to re-focus on some of the smaller areas I planned to be intentional in. I’m not sure what the solution is for some of those areas… Our schedule is so varied right now that monthly meal planning won’t work, and once a week grocery shopping has been a struggle with my husband’s schedule, one vehicle, and the fact that my oldest is in a leg cast and I can’t get her out of the house on my own. Something needs to change though, since going to the grocery store 5 times a week for “just a few things” is getting exhausting.

I also want to be sure, even more with everything that is going on for us, that I make an intentional effort to focus on my children. I want to find ways to fill their cups to overflowing, and help them truly know how valuable they are to me. I’m not sure what that will look like yet, but I am going to be praying about it, and I would love to hear some of your ideas in the comments!