I admit it.  I’m done with resolutions and “trying to do better”.

How many times have we tried to start a new year off full of good intentions and resolutions, only to find ourselves falling short and disappointing no one but ourselves.

Keep reading and you’ll find some encouragement, I promise!

I am by no means a pessimist, but I do consider myself to be somewhat of a realist.  The reality is,

After rearranging my dining room to accommodate our growing family, I found that everything in the room was a little off-center, so I had to remove the vinyl paint and replace it with something new. (They’re wonderful, but you can’t reuse them once they’re removed.)

When I started browsing for options, this one really stuck out to me, and soon I fell in love with not just the words, but the idea:

LIVE SIMPLY ~~ “Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

CARE DEEPLY~~ “Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.”  Colossians 3:12-13

SPEAK KINDLY~~ “Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” Colossians 4:5-6

LOVE GENEROUSLY~~ “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

and LEAVE THE REST TO GOD~~ “For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.  I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

These words written long ago to encourage believers are a gentle reminder for us to keep the things that are really important, FIRST, and to trust God with EVERYTHING.  It may seem in this crazy world that life is complicated, but when you get right down to it, we’re the one’s complicating it.  We fill our lives with so many things that won’t matter in eternity.  I want my life to be about following God’s plan, not my own.  I want the impact I make in this world to be because I was putting Him first, and because HE accomplished it through me.

Sure, I dream about what the year will hold: I really do want nothing more than God’s plan for me, whatever that may be, and…

I would LOVE to see 2014 be a year of spiritual growth–for myself, my family, and my church family.

I am OVERJOYED with the anticipation of the birth of our next granddaughter!  (#4 and keep ’em comin’ ! :0)

I am ACHING to travel to Madagascar to see my missionary kids.  My plan would be ASAP, but this one’s not up to me either.

I REALLY need to have some “Doug” time… we celebrated our vacation with our kids and grandkids last year, and we’re thinking this summer we should escape together… ❤

Whatever your plans, your resolutions or goals, why not consider following these clear principles in God’s Word?  I’m confident that when you put God first, everything else falls into its proper place.  How can I be confident? Because HE has proven Himself faithful.  HE will do it. (I Thess. 5:24)