Goals for 2015

When I was in my 30's, I made New Year's Eve a very special evening between God and I.  Around 10:00 p.m. when the television was showing different parts of the world celebrating New Year's, I would feel a sense of newness - fresh beginnings - begin to well up inside of me.  It was exciting to know I was being given a new slate with which to start over and refocus areas of my life.

As a Christian, Jesus gave me a new life the moment I asked Him to forgive all my sins and be my Savior.  He gave me that clean slate.  No matter how many times I've dirtied it up He still wipes it clean and I'm very grateful.

So on these nights, New Year's Eve, I've taken it upon myself to refocus my lens so that I can stay on track for where I believe the Lord is directing my footsteps.  Sometimes I've recapped the previous year and written down all I could remember.  Other times I made a list of goals for the spiritual, emotional, financial, physical and mental areas.  Then there were times I felt as if I'd written a book.

But this year?  This year I kept it simple.

This year I wrote it just a few minutes ago.  This year it only took about twenty minutes.  This year I already knew what I wanted to work on for 2015.

I kept it very simple.  Something I've had to learn how to do this past year.  Nothing complicated and yet some of them will still stretch me.  I feel I am in sync with what God feels is reasonable.  I'm not trying to reach lofty goals nor am I setting goals so low they do not offer a challenge.

I've chosen to share them with you so that you can see how simple they can be and still serve a purpose.  Perhaps you'll be encouraged to write a few goals for yourself.  If so, feel free to borrow some of mine:

Goals for 2015

1. To lead a life that is pleasing to God.  To work on my issues with the help of the professionals He has brought to help me.  To stay in contact with my family, to talk to my friends as I am able and to practice solid self-care in all the above. 
2.  To attend church either in person or via willowcreek.tv.
3.  To complete the Today in the Word by Moody Bible Institute.
4.   To let go of doing everything perfectly so that I can reduce frustration and lead a life that is less stressful.  Only Jesus lead a perfect life.  He never asked us to do so.  He taught us to lean on the Father for everything so that we would learn how to have a healthy dependence on Him.
5.  Learn from reading, video or other resources the trappings of obesity and how to eradicate it in my life.  This education will confront the childhood beliefs that are no longer true and change them into the adult life I now live.  My inner child must not be in control any longer.  She needs to take her queues from me – not I from her.  Slow and steady wins the race.
6.  To disciple Ryan, Hope, Samantha and Alicia.
7. To follow my budget and stay on track especially since it’s so tight until April. Join the Fitness Center when my budget allows if that's the right thing to do.
8. To continue writing my blog even when I feel distracted and out of sorts.  Writing is a good source of being able to sort out my thoughts and feelings.  Even when it’s hard it always benefits me in some way.
9. Be a source of encouragement to those I love.
10.  Be available for unexpected “God callings.”
11.  Pray for those I Iove and especially for those whose tragedy is brought to my attention.
12.  Be in step with who God wants me to be, what God wants me to do, why God wants me to go, where God wants me to be, when God wants me to arrive or leave and how God wants me to serve Him.  After all, I am His servant – He is not mine.

Suicide and Comfort

A new post on my Facebook page caught my eye.  Here's what it said:

"Josh May you gotta pull through man I've known u longer then I know anyone else out here we used to chill everyday and u r not going like this I pray for you to pull through u have a lot of friends and family who love and care for you bro pull through please pull through."

My curiosity peaked.  I did not know who Josh was or what happened.  

I posted this comment:  "Can you send me a private message to let me know what happened?"

I received this response: "He is a friend of mine who I have known since 4th grade and he hung himself. Now he's in ICU."

Me--Oh, man, Jonny. Is he in a hospital near us?

Yeah Mchenry

Me--I'm so sorry. I'll be praying with you.

Thank you Aunt Amy

Me--But let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, okay?  If I need to borrow my friend’s car to take you to the hospital, I can try and do that.

My nephew, who had just become the dad to his second daughter, was now dealing with the attempted suicide of a close friend.  What do you tell someone who is trying to grapple with those emotions?

I decided that what I told him was good for now.  

Because Josh hung himself, I knew he was without oxygen.  It reminded me of Jonny's brother Aaron, even though the cause of the injury was much different.  I pictured Josh's parents, finding Josh, dialing 911, just a couple of days after Christmas.  Now they were at the hospital, not leaving Josh's side, having to talk to the doctors about his brain injury and the hopelessness of Josh ever regaining life.  Then comes the decision.

Two days later, Jonny posted this message:  Josh May this is for you I love you man and you'll be missed.  The ventilator had been turned off, watching the heart monitor as the heart began to slow down and then that tone when your loved one is no longer alive.  You sit in the room.  Unable to move.  Unable to stop the tears and the sobs.  Unable to will your loved one to open their eyes just one more time.  Their gone and your life will never be the same.

One of the most difficult things for people to understand is why God doesn't save their loved one.  He saves others but not theirs.  My Christian faith gives an answer to this question.  Before we were born, God wrote our names in the Lamb's book of life.  In that book is the day we are born and the day we die.  Every death in my life has been written in that book.  Having that knowledge has brought a great sense of peace for my grieving when people and pets die.  It doesn't mean that I don't go through the grieving process - I do, indeed.  But in doing so, I have this deep inner peace with God at the center that everything is going according to His Plan.  

Where people spend their eternity is another plan all together.  That's something each of us chooses.  If you want more information about it, see my previous posts in the past week.

My nephew Jonny is new to the Christian faith.  I'm trying to teach him that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want Him to. But that doesn't mean He doesn't care.  He cares so much about us that He promises to be our comfort in times of sadness and that's something we can pray for Josh's family and friends.

God's comfort is something we can pray for anyone who has to suffer.

I pray 2014 was a year where you saw God's activity in your life.  If you feel up to it, why not jot down some things that caused you to take better care of yourself, presented challenges that you were able to overcome or gave you hope for a better future.

Many blessings for a Happy New Year!

Love Amy

Christmas Reflections

I sit here at home after a wonderful time at my sister's house for our Christmas celebration.  I took very very good care of myself.  I declined an invitation to our extended family's annual Christmas Eve get together.  I love the people and children.  I am easily frazzled by the crowd and the noise (right now).

Instead I stayed behind at my sister's house with the dog.  I wore my pajamas as I washed my laundry, cleaned her kitchen, straightened up the table then rested in the recliner for a little bit of Christmas cartoons.

When everyone came home the house was bustling with some excitement and tiredness.  I still had one major gift to wrap with one of my nieces.  Once that was done I asked my other niece to help put my gifts under the tree.  Then it was time for sleep.

When morning came almost everyone was up before me, including my Mom.  We were all chit-chatty as my sister was talking to her one son that was driving over.  As soon as he, his girlfriend and his daughters were there we'd begin opening gifts.  She had the pleasure of waking the two oldest boys upstairs who were up gaming most of the night!

This year, I realized something pretty special that we've been doing since the children were born and blended.  All of their gifts are opened at their Mom/Stepmom and Dad/Stepdad's house.  My other sister and I have always brought our gifts to their house.  My Mom has either shipped or brought them down with her.  They've never had to travel to another house on our side of the family.  Even my Dad would give his gifts to my sister to put under the tree.

The reason that struck me this year is because of the gifts they gave to one another and to us.  When children are small some parents pick out what they should give someone.  Since my sister's children have been small, I've given them money to pick out their gifts for one another on their own.  They've learned how to think about someone else and what would make them happy.  Not about what would make themselves happy.  Huge difference.

On Christmas Day, they hear the gift passer-outer read out who the gift is "to" and who the gift is "from".  Sometimes we make up silly names for both.  The giver watches their recipient open their gift with great anticipation.  A big smile and a big laugh and a thank you!!

Inside each recipient, is a warm feeling of love.
Their giver knew exactly what they would want and what would make them happy.

Inside each giver, is a warm feeling of love.
They knew what every family member was going to be given.
A gift, just for them, that would bring happiness and joy.

If you think about it, that's what God did for us over two thousand years ago.

God chose Mary to give birth to His Son, Jesus.  When it was time, Joseph and Mary (quite pregnant with Jesus), went home to Bethlehem for the Census, excited about the coming birth of Jesus.  When he was born, they wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed Him in a manger.  (See Luke 2)

God knew we needed a Savior.  He knew He needed innocent blood, shed by His Son, as payment for our sin.  He knew He couldn't make us receive that gift but just the same, He offers it to us.  Nothing else can substitute it.  We have to receive it as a gift - humbly from the Giver.

So the question is:  

Have you admitted to God that you are a sinner, believed that Jesus Christ died as payment in full for all your sin and confessed your need for Jesus so that He can teach you how to live?

If not, why not?

You might want to spend some time writing or thinking about it.

Sometimes a pro's and con's list can help.