I have been thinking about this coming year, and what I would like to work into it. As I have been mucking around my house cleaning out the old and worn, loved but no longer needed, and just plain don't need any more of, I really feel the need to simplify. I thought living in a house that was a tad tight for us would help keep the clutter under control. I think it has, but some of us still like to hold on to everything. I would like to think more about what I am letting into my house. Do I need it? Do I love it? Most importantly, does it encourage me to love others? I want to spend this year focused on people not on stuff.
I don't want my stuff to keep me from spending time with other people. I don't want to be hung up on what my house looks like when I invite people over. I want to encourage my kids to spend time with friends, interacting with them, not just watching movies in the same room. I want to spend time doing things with the kids, instead of leaving them at home while I shop for stuff. I hope I remember this as I approach Christmas next year. I want to give gifts of time and character, not just entertainment. I want us to spend time together making gifts and thinking about who we are giving them to. One of the best gifts I got this year was a calendar that my girls made for me. They all sat down and painted, or drew pictures and had Rick get them made into a calendar. I walked in on them a couple of times, but I hurried back out of the room. They did it together, and I LOVE it. That is the kind of stuff I want to fill my life with this year.
While I am focusing on people, I want to be more conversational. I have been thinking about this for quite a while. I had hoped that my blog would be more conversational. I have found that when people comment about my blog it kills conversation more than prompting it. I have had my say, and the reader has time to think about it. When people mention that they read my blog, I feel like they already know my side, but I have no idea what they are thinking. Occasionally someone will share what they thought about what I said, but usually it is just a passing comment. It has been a little bit odd. I'm glad that people read it, and that they seem to find it interesting, but I need to figure out how to keep it from limiting my ability to talk to people about what's happening in my life. Since I am an introvert it takes me a little bit longer to talk to people. I am not good at small talk, and I need time to think about what I am saying. I also want to be able to listen to what other people have to say. I want to have people over more. If I don't have people in my home, it is really hard to have a good conversation. Conversations don't happen at pick up time after school, those are just information exchanges. This will be a challenging resolution for me.
The last resolution for this year is to read the Bible through chronologically. One of the other ladies whose blog I read, had decided to read through the Bible chronologically this year and asked if anyone would join her. I commented that I would. I started early, since things tend to come up in my life and I didn't want to get behind too soon. Yesterday another friend asked us to hold her accountable to read through the Bible this year. I asked if she wanted to read it chronologically, and she was game for it. So here we are off to a good start. I have read the Bible through several times, just reading a section of the Old Testament, and a section of the New Testament everyday. I have found reading it in a different order has been enlightening. It has given me a better sense of the times that things have occurred. Instead of just reading the lists of genealogies, I get to read the story that goes along with it in the midst of list. Having other friends reading it at the same time should also spark some good conversations.
There they are, in print. The things that I want to set before me this coming year. Keep the clutter at bay. Love the people that God brings into my life. Talk to people, and more importantly listen to them. Read my Bible every day in a new order.
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