The Birth of the Resolution Revolution

It all started on December 23.  I was at Mardel Christian Book Store purchasing a few last minute Christmas gifts for my husband.  As I was checking out, the employer began small talk on the books I had purchased.  She asked me if I had ever heard of a book titled, The Resolution for Women, to which I quickly replied no.  She raved on and on about the book and how it was so life-changing for her.  She gave a short synopsis of how it reminds women to live a life of intention and purpose with every detail of their lives...and how the small things really do matter.  Genuinely intrigued along with a slight shopping addiction, it didn't take much to convince me to purchase the book... after all it was only five bucks!  (A wise investment, looking back on it now!).  She went back and got the book for me and I was on my way. 

Fast forward a few days later... Christmas has zoomed by and I sit on my couch in a seasonal depression looking around as my house once full of Christmas decorations are now down and shoved away in boxes, with no sign that Christmas was ever really here.  My house feels empty and bare.  The twinkling lights and 100 pounds of glitter are gone.  Reflecting on the holiday that just passed me by, I couldn't help but compare myself to my house...empty and bare.  As quickly as the thought came so did the shame.  I shouldn't feel this way!  I just had an amazing Christmas!  I am beyond blessed with a beautiful home, an amazing husband, a caring family, and all the gifts that I could have ever wanted.  What is wrong with me?  Why wasn't I content with the things I had?  Disgusted, I knew that it was time to renew my spirit and refresh my soul.  After praying and reflecting, I decided that it was the perfect time for...New Year's Resolutions!  As I sat down to create my 2014 New Year's Resolutions in my new journal (another purchase from Mardel that day) and (why yes of course journaling is one of my New Year's Resolutions), I reflected on how far I have come and the work that still lied ahead. 

I believe in goals.  If you have nothing to strive for then what exactly are you living for?  Goals are what make people successful in every endeavor in their lives.  I have had my fair share of goals in life and have actually been fairly successful in accomplishing them.  I full-heartedly believe that if I never had those lofty visions, I wouldn't be where I am today!  As I was creating my list, I found myself writing the same generic, overused goals...lose 15 pounds, be a better wife and friend, read my bible more often, etc.  While all of these are great...I couldn't help but want something more...  More specific, more difficult, and more life-changing.  While searching for the perfect goals an epiphany came to me and the words of the lady at Mardel filled my mind and my heart...it's the little things that matter the most.  While you focus on the little things, great things happen.  I don't know about you, but I want to do great things.  But I can't do great things if I don't do the little things well.  To focus on the little things you have to live every day with intention and purpose.  So, I started with small goals and watched as they miraculously built up to my BIG goals.  It's like climbing the stairs, one step at a time.  So, I started thinking about each stair...Who do I need to call today to tell them I care about them?  How do I serve someone other than myself?  What awareness can I bring to orphans all over the world?  What can I sacrifice for the benefit of someone else?  Who could I pray for?  Suddenly, my whole perspective changed.  If I want to be a better wife, how am I going to show that to my husband TODAY?  If I want to make a difference in my job, what child do I need to encourage TODAY?  If I want to be a better Christian, how am I going to show the love of Christ to someone TODAY?  It's time to start being intentional TODAY!

I have big goals...I mean REALLY BIG GOALS for my life.  So BIG I'm a little hesitant to share them all just yet!  But I have started the works of one already, a writer.  How can I begin working towards that goal...well, start a blog TODAY of course!  My hope is that this blog along with my resolutions will serve two purposes.  Bettering myself to live a life for God and positively impacting the people I love and inspiring the lives of others.  My prayer is that maybe my Resolution Revolution will somehow birth a revolution in you.  Maybe through my experiences you are able to find hope, feel love, and see life lived with purposeful intentions and maybe... just maybe...you would be inspired to do the same! 

I leave you with this thought today by Priscilla Shirer, author of The Resolution for Women.  This quote was the birth of my Resolution Revolution.

"You're already a woman of resolutions.  They're making you who you are.  They're determining the life you'll end up living, the tomorrow you'll end up shaping.  So since making resolutions is something we all do anyway, the question for us to grapple with is not whether we'll ever dare to make any more of them but whether we're going to be intentional about the ones we do make.  We need to make sure the banner that flies over our lives and announces to the world who we genuinely are is one that says what we want it to say, one that changes things in us and around us for the better."