Thursday, January 6, 2011

so this is the new year, part 2

Well, I said there were more thoughts to come on 2011 and here they are.

I had my list together and my thoughts gathered for my 2011 goals.  Then, I went to church.  Roc, the pastor, talked about the new year.  What a cliche and over-done thing ... am I really going to get anything out of this?  Oh, what a ridiculous person I am.

Roc spoke about getting God's direction for 2011.  He didn't say what it was, but rather why we care about it, what it looks like, and how to do it.  He has a great way of making practical sense out of some things that seem so mysterious and magical ... like "God's will."

Why do we care?  These were some of the benefits he listed for following God's direction:  safety, attention, focus, brakes, and ignition.  Two of those stuck out ... focus and ignition.  I need focus in my life.  Busyness makes us forget God and/or who we are.  Along with that, the answer to, "Who are you?" is not my profession.  Ignition is something I talk about frequently, but I just don't use that word.  Roc talked about the importance of finally starting the things that you've always dismissed by saying, "Someday I really need to ________."  Welcome to someday.  It's time to start.

What does it look like?  Communion with God, loving relationships, unexpected interruptions, and regular rest.  The first two were expected but I was surprised by the last two.  Leave room for unexpected interruptions.  This means that you don't say, "yes," until your schedule is 100% full.  You have to leave room.  As for regular rest, he said, "The will of God doesn't make you exhausted.  It gives you sleep and it gives you rest."  I don't think I've ever heard that said before.

How do we do it?  Good question.  It's different for everyone, but there are things that give our hearts and minds a bit of direction.  Scheduling specific times to be alone/think/meditate/read/pray in an undistracted place is somewhere to start.

He ended with these 3 questions:  Who am I?  Why am I here?  What should I do?

Colt and I spent time that afternoon at Barnes and Noble talking about all of this.  We talked about where we want to be individually and as a couple by the end of this next year.  We are list people, so we made a list.

SLEEP:  get more of it more consistently
EXERCISE (now until March):  colt runs 4 times a week, claire runs 3 times a week; then, train for memorial half marathon and marathon
DATES:  one coffee or dinner date out per week
SPIRITUAL GROWTH:
            Individually – set aside specific times to read, pray throughout the day
            Together – read one chapter from the Bible before dinner
HOME:  pick up after ourselves, keep a clean house consistently
TV:  no more cable

Maybe that's a lot of stuff, maybe that's not enough, maybe you think it's silly ... but we feel like it's a good start.  How about you? What are you going to do?

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