A New Year, A New Chance

I FINALLY made time to make a blog! I've been wanting to do this since the fall, but have yet to have time to start one. I love the idea of blogging and sharing life with others, encouraging others, and being encouraged, myself. I look forward to sharing life with the world as many new and exciting days approach!

I struggled as to what my first post should be about. I know many people are writing about the New Year and all that could be with this new beginning, but I had my own revelation on New Years Eve and feel like God laid this on my heart.

This week begins the first week of a brand new year with many new opportunities and chances. We've always given these first few days of the year a very important meaning and purpose: it's when many people attempt to start over, whether that be financially, relationally, health wise, in their efforts or in any way that they did not do well in the year before. I think it's a rather exciting concept--what's better than starting with a clean slate? The only problem with this first week of the year and all its newness is that within the first month, or even within that first week, our aspirations fade away and we continue living the way we did the year before. Maybe this is because we create a list of resolutions, or goals, that we really don't think are possible to achieve. Maybe it's because we are lazy. Maybe it's because we know that a lot of effort and sacrifice will need to be put forth in order to actually follow through. Maybe it's because we stop striving for the best and settle for just good. Maybe it's because we lack in faith and faithfulness. For me, I think it's all of these things. I've actually always been a skeptic of new years resolutions because they never seem to last, so why would I even try? However, I have set a few in the past and I see my problem to be unfaithfulness. I get tired of putting forth the effort and suffering the discomfort of sacrifice.

This year seems to be a little bit different for me. 2011 will be a huge year full of changes that will need goals and aspirations to strive for if I want to be faithful and use all that God has given me to honor Him and radiate Him in all I do. This year, God will be giving me brand new responsibilities, entrusting me with new opportunities to serve Him, to share Him with the world, to learn from Him, to become more like Him, and to grow to love Him and depend on Him more than ever. With these new responsibilities and blessed opportunities, there will be challenges and chances to fail.

In 2011, I will experience my final preparation to be a teacher by student teaching in a Kindergarten class. This is it. My last chance to soak in as much as I can before I walk into my own classroom. In May, I will graduate college and become a "grown up." On June 18, I will marry my best friend and become a wife. In August, Lord willing, I will start my very first grown up job. I will walk into a classroom of 20 something kids who will become my very own kids for 9 months. Kids from all different backgrounds, I'm sure. Kids who have wonderful lives. And kids who have nothing. And they will be in my hands. Talk about new roles in my life!

Looking at all that is to come, I am very tempted to sit in fear and think of all that could go wrong and all the ways I could mess up and misuse these gifts that God is granting me and doors that He is opening for me. But I don't want to fall victim to fear. I don't want to look at the 363 days ahead of me and see my measly, poor, weak self: I want to see HIS strength and HIS desires for me and plans to hold me and guide me through all of the newness. I want to set goals for myself that will prepare me for what He will be accomplishing in my life this next year. I want to turn away from my habits of unfaithfulness and run towards faithful service of the One who redeems my soul each and every day. The One who has plans for my prosperity and hope and future. I want to spend this new year in 2011 striving towards excellence so that God's gifts are not wasted, so that His name would be spread and honored and so that I may know Him in a much greater way!

So with these hopes that have sprung up for the year, I made some goals for myself. Goals that I will pray over every day and allow God to use to make less of me and more of Him. So here are just a few of them:

1. Don't expect to do it all at once, don't expect to fail, and remember that progress is made one day at a time. Anything of worth must be cultivated.

2. Wake up each morning acknowledging that God is God and choose to be His.

3. Pray.

4. Pray for my Nathan, my husband-to-be, as much as possible.

5. Remember that school, work, and busyness are good things, but shouldn't cloud my views of friendships and others.

6. Face each school day knowing that I am influencing a child's future and preparing them for life. Love them. Be patient with them. And minister to them will all I have.

7. Pray.

8. Memorize Scripture.

9. Use my mouth for good, not as a weapon for destruction.

10. Pray.

I cannot even describe my excitement for all that is to come this year! Here's to a beautiful beginning :)