New Year's Inventory

Happy New Year (3 days late!)! Oh how I love the blank canvas of a New Year. It is like another chance to "get it right." The deadlines of the holidays are in the past and freedom is mine! Now I can finally organize, lose weight, update and clean my home, plan some remodeling projects and vacations, read the Bible through this year, get out of debt ........wait a minute, that doesn't sound like freedom, that sounds like another form of deadlines and pressures. And by the way, I think most of those plans were on my New Year's list last year, and the year before that........What is it about New Year's?

If you haven't noticed January is when the advertisers start pushing all kinds of weight-loss products, organizational tools, even the Bible In A Year. Christmas is long past (on sale at 75% off) and all the stores have the "hot" new spring decor on display. I admit, I fall for it hook, line and sinker! In fact, I fell for it last year, and the year before that, and the year before that...........

Unfortunately, I can't do any of those things by purchasing equipment or products. It requires an inner change, a change of mind and lifestyle. What good does it do to get organized in January if I am not following through in July? And there is not a weight loss product or program out there that will work if I am not consistent in diet and exercise (believe me I have tried!). As for the Bible in a year, I get frustrated if I miss a day or two and finally give up by about March. Decorating and remodeling takes time, planning, patience and commitment (none of which I am very good at).

So why try? If I am destined to fail why continue to set myself up with high hopes for a New Year? First of all, I need to think about why I want to change in the first place. After all, I am not obese, I have a beautiful home, a loyal & supportive husband, 7 healthy children, great friends, I drive a Jaguar for heaven's sake. I serve the Lord in a job that I love.....what in the world could I possibly want to change about my life? Here is the answer God has laid on my heart:

"Great gifts mean great responsibilities, greater gifts greater responsibilities." Luke 12:48 MSG

It isn't that I am seeking more, it is that I want to do better with what I have. God has given me so much and if I don't tend to it well, I become unhappy, dissatisfied and resentful instead of filled with the joy God has intended. Being organized, being healthy, reading the bible, caring for my home and family are some of the ways that I am a good steward to all that God has entrusted to me. God didn't give me gifts and responsibilities to weigh me down and rob me of freedom, He gave them to bring me pleasure and joy.

So, instead of thinking about New Year's resolutions I think I will take a New Year's inventory. What are my blessings and responsibilities and what is it God wants me to do with them? Pray before you Plan & don't buy the lie! Don't organize what you no longer need but get rid of it, strive to be healthy instead of worrying about what the scale says, keep the house and car clean don't rush to redo or buy new, spend quality time with the family don't wait for special occasions. None of these things will make God love me more, they just enable me to appreciate and enjoy the blessings He has so graciously placed in my life!

Joyfully~~~Kelley