2011

I've had a lot of things on my mind the last few days as I think about this new year. First of all, I am so thankful for the Lord's sustaining blessings throughout 2010. It was a challenging year, but God is good and His love and faithfulness really do endure despite our temporary pain and frustrations. As I get older, I have become more and more aware that it is because of the pain and frustrations in our lives that we are able to better appreciate His blessings and grace.

I am so thankful for my sweet Callie Sue and the joy, laughter, love, AND pain and frustration she's brought us this year. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, and yet, there really is nothing like watching your child accomplish something for the first time, call your name, melt into your arms, or burst into giggles! Days are often long and exhausting, but mostly my heart is so overwhelmed by the way God has shown his love to me through my little girl. I pray that she falls in love with her Savior and chooses to devote her life to Him and that I can point her to Jesus every day by my choices and words.

I feel that I wasted a lot of time in 2010 by worrying about things outside of my control (and really how many things can we TRULY control?) instead of entrusting them to my faithful and loving God who always has the best plan. I also just plain wasted time, whether it be on Facebook, watching TV or just being lazy. I have been reading Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love. If you haven't read it, make the less than $10 investment. It may just change your life. I know I have become more aware of just how spoiled I am and how little time, energy, money, etc. I devote to the things that God would have me invest in and the thoughts He would prefer I meditate on, and the people with whom He wants me to interact. I pride myself on being a somewhat organized, logical and wise person with the things God has given me. Yet, as the premise of the book says, true love makes us a little crazy. How many crazy things do I do for God? How many would I be willing to do this next year? I love the idea of a fresh start and a New Year's resolution, but when it comes right down to it, most of mine have been broken before March-many before the end of January. What will make this year different? I hope and pray that I will rely more on God's strength and less and less on my own "resolve" this year. I want 2011 to be the year that I fell "crazy in love" with my Savior and my pursuits were the result and outpouring of that love. If you're reading this, I'd love for you to remind me about this throughout the year and ask me how it's going!