ARE YOU RESOLUTE

res·o·lu·tion: n.
1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.
2. A resolving to do something.
3. A course of action determined or decided on.

Here it is! The last day and a half of 2013. Time to cram in everything on your 2013 Bucket List!

Time to berate yourself for "failing"...again...at upholding your resolutions from last year.

Time to take inventory of everything lacking in your life and make an all-inclusive list to change in 2014.

Time to give yourself the annual pep talk about how next year will be different. 

Time to promise yourself that NEXT YEAR you'll:

*Eat less

*Exercise more

*Worry less

*Pray more

*Clean less

*Clean more

*Curse less

*Praise More

*Spend Less

*Save more...

And on and on...

Is this how you spend December 31 every year?

Hear me when I {Mandy} say that I am not ANTI-Resolution making.

In fact, I think we all should be resolved and resolute.

I don't like when I hear people say resolutions are "stupid" and a "waste of time."

Because are they really?

Is it possible that we either 1) set our expectations too high and/or 2) lack willpower and then fail our own expectations? And when that happens, isn't it much easier to say "Making resolutions is stupid. It's unrealistic"?

Instead of taking an honest inventory of who we are (or need to be) in God's image and set out prayerfully for Him to transform us?

I actually love the idea of setting resolutions at the New Year. I love the idea of a fresh start and clean slate that a brand new 52 weeks provides.

Sure, resolutions can be set any time of the year, but I like the newness of a new year.

If you are wanting to take an honest look inside and set some realistic expectations..."resolutions"... for yourself for 2014, GO FOR IT!

But there is a better way than just a laundry list of areas you want  to do "more" or "less" or "better" in.

Start with asking God what He wants you to focus on.

Maybe it's one area of your life.

Maybe it's 20.

The point is, whatever it is that He wants us to focus on is what should be most important to us.

Maybe I'm 30lbs over weight and I know I need to take better care of my body because it's the Temple of the Holy Spirit and I want to live longer and set a good example for my children...

But...maybe God would rather I focus first on the unforgiveness in my heart. Or the humility I'm lacking.

And then...and only then...when I choose to follow God's order for things will I be able to see success. The lasting, eternal kind.

Jeremiah 29:11, MSG (one of my very favorite verses) says :

"I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

God has a plan for us. And we know by looking at everything else that He has created that He is a God who works with precision, forethought, and order. He has a blueprint for our lives.

So, I am learning that I want to consult with Him to know my next step so that I am in sync with what it is He wants for me.

Isaiah 55:8, MSG says: "'I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.' God’s Decree."

Psalm 37:1-3, MSG: "Don't bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. In  no time they'll shrivel like grass clippings and wilt like cut flowers in the sun."

Psalm 37:4, NIV: "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

I think I need to tattoo on my forehead (or at least write on an index card and tape to my mirror) that when I consult God first (the One who has the Master Blueprint) I have a far greater chance of success. Not only because it's in line with His Will, but because He will give me what I need to get through...wisdom, strength, motivation, and--most importantly--guidance.

So this year, join me in setting realistic expectations and consulting the One who knows every hair on our heads and had every day of our lives planned out before even one came to be (Psalm 139:16).

Make this the year that you release yourself from your own (or someone else's) unrealistic expectations and look to the One who can and will fulfill you.

Be resolute in being a Deliberate Woman:

Deliberate (adj): carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional.

And most importantly, lavish God's grace on yourself and others so that when we fail, we know we can get back up again, ask for forgiveness, and press forward.

Here's to 2014! We cannot wait to get to know you better throughout the coming year!

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