New Year’s Resolutions?
Those things we list enthusiastically for ourselves every year:
- Exercise every day
- Lose weight
- Read 20 books
- Be more organised
- Meal plan
- Get to bed on time
- Be more intentional with my children
- Bless my husband
I chuckle just thinking how many years I set myself lofty goals. And by January 10th I was already so off track and had forgotten most of them anyway. That feeling of failure makes us determined never to set ourselves up to fail again. NO more resolutions!
But may I challenge you to consider this…
The resolution of resolutions:
This daily habit will turn your life around in every area, and it will remind you that your life is lived firstly and most importantly for The Lord. Your only resolution is to :
Spend TIME in THE WORD and with THE LORD, DAILY.
Why this resolution?
This commitment is one that will bless you in all areas of your life. When you put time aside for The Lord, you put Him in the driving seat of your life. You surrender your day to Him and you access His wisdom, grow in knowledge of His Word, and have a moment to pray…the benefits are astounding:
- Spiritual blessings
- Stillness as you set aside the tasks and meditate on Him
- Knowledge of His way which is excellent
- Peace as you lay all your burdens out before Him and leave them at the foot of the cross
- Supernatural power as you pray for different aspects of your life and the people around you
- Revelation as He reveals to you areas in your life that need attention, care or repentance
- Peace as you embrace His plans for your day and handle interruptions, and things not done with more patience and grace
And bit by bit, as you come before Him, He will show you areas of your life that you need to pay attention to. When the time is right and He feels that you are ready. He will also show you what changes you need to make and lead you to the resources you need to make those changes. When we wait on The Lord, instead of rushing out ahead of Him in our own strength, we walk in His will for our life.
We can do nothing of Kingdom significance without The Lord.
But with His help, we can grow to achieve what He desires for us, which is most likely all the things we would have liked to make our New Year’s resolutions about in the first place. He wants us to be healthy and fit, and organised, and patient, and stable. The stronger we are, the better witness we are for Him and The more we glorify Him. But we must allow The Lord to lead the way.
This practice seems so simple, straightforward and clearly important, and yet it seems to be one of the hardest to put into action.
How Can you carve some space out of your day?
“Atomic Habits” author James Clear, teaches a way to “stack habits”.
Choose a habit that you already have and stack your quiet time onto it. For instance…every morning I sit down with a cup of coffee. Add your quiet time. If you shower in the morning or before heading to bed, add your quiet time before or after. It’s really not as hard as you think.
Cognitive neurophysicist, Dr Caroline Leaf explains that it takes 63 days to make neural changes which build a new habit.
Plan carefully and be determined for 63 days, and then it will be part of your daily routine.
Children often make it tricky for mums to have a bit of quiet time, but if you are determined, The Lord will help you find some creative solutions.
I write in more detail about setting aside quiet time here
Some helpful resources:
I love to read straight from The Word in my quiet time, but occasionally I will use a devotional book, and if setting aside quiet time is new to you, a devotional is a perfect way to start. I highly recommend “Travelling Light” by Adele Huntington. Adele is a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who has mentored me over the years and is a true inspiration. If you would like to purchase this devotional, contact me on my contact page and I will put you in touch with Adele.
The other resource I would love to recommend is a product made by a friend of mine’s sister. A Bible Study notebook, which I was gifted at the end this year and have thoroughly enjoyed using.
Kingdom Purpose
Friends, we cannot teach our children the most valuable lesson of all – to walk with The Lord and live a life surrendered to Him, if we do not do this first ourselves.
The Difference I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day, I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me and heavier came each task, "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He said, "But, you didn't ask." I wanted to see joy and beauty but the day toiled on grey and bleak. I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek." I tried to come into God's presence: I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day. I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. Author unknown
If you have enjoyed this article or want to go into a bit more detail, listen here on my podcast.
