I know many people think New Year's Resolutions are a bunch of crock. Something to make or break in a months time. I agree when taken lightly, it can be a waste of time. But I also think it is a good excuse to reflect back on your last year and think about if you are any closer to becoming the person you want to be. Of course, the person we all want to be is unattainable as it does not truly exist. But that ever elusive person helps me to keep striving to be more of who God wants me to be and less of who the world wants.
Every year the top spot on my resolution list is to re-prioritize my daily time in the the Bible any prayer. I tend to find discipline in this area for 6 to 8 weeks at a time before I find myself out of the habit for several more weeks. I am not kidding myself to think that this is going to be the year that I start and never stop. But more realistically, that I spend more days with a quiet time than not. I think I'll actually try to keep up with this to see if I do better this year than previous years. I am such a better person when I am focused on what God wants instead of what I want.
Another goal of mine this year is to get farther and farther away from the angry mom that I found myself months ago. I am feeling much more control in this area but I want to get so far away from it that next year at this time my children barely remember they have a mom with a bad temper. I will continue to strive for self-control for myself and peace for my family.
Lastly, I am going to spend (at least) 15 minutes a day playing with each child individually. That means walking away from my blog, facebook, or house chores to have some one-on-one time with my kids. Lane's love language is really quality time and he begs for it. Owen needs it because being the third child, it is so easy to just let him follow the other two around and miss him growing up all together. And with Amelia, I really need to start focusing on making conversation easy and comfortable between us. She's getting so big so fast and I don't want to lose the opportunity to have a position of influence in her life.
Notice I stay away from the exercise every day type of resolution. Why set myself up for failure and disappointment?
I'd love to hear some of your New Year's Resolutions......
3 comments:
Thanks for your honesty, Bev. That's one of the things I always remember loving about you. (Honesty and singing really loudly in the car.) I feel like motherhood tapped into a rage inside of me I'd either ignored or didn't know about. Many moms won't be honest with each other, so I really appreciate you telling the truth. Being in control of temper and emotions is a hard thing. As I teach Turner to take a deep breath when he needs to calm down, I'm teaching myself the same practice.
-Elizabeth
Hi Bev! I love your blog...and completely appreciate your transparency. I can really relate to the angry mom syndrome. It is so easy to be reactive!! Being a mom is hard work and in my own strength I fail every time. My resolution is to be fully aware of Christ's presence and to invite Him to be completely involved with me and draw on His strength!
Wishing you and your family the best for 2009,
Marcy
Bev! Looks like you have touched a mommy nerve - and made us all feel a little more normal. Sometimes it is hard to draw the line between discipline and crazy mama. I know I have over-reacted many times out of frustration or the fact that I feel like people are judging me by the way my kids behave. The thing is, they are usually pretty good in public compared to other kids. I just want them to be perfect. Which is unreasonable for all of us. I am sure we have prayed the same words on this subject. Have a great year.
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