Living to Tell the Story

The first month of the year has slipped quickly by.  It seems I didn't have a whole lot of blogging time but I wanted to review, for myself mostly, what happened towards my word of the year.  This once a month reviewing, I'm hoping, will keep the word before my eyes and in my thoughts.  It's going to be a working out of my thoughts towards the goal so it's not always going to be make total rational sense.  Hopefully it will, but knowing me, it might just be a whole lot of sorting out.

 My word for the year was "Purposefully".

"having a purpose, determined, resolute, full of meaning, significant"

As I thought about and prayed about how to apply this in my year and towards my life, I really felt like I had to list different areas in my life and list specific ways I could make them more filled with meaning, a more determined plan towards improving or growing within each area, rather than the general drifting my life seems to have taken in the last couple of years.  I began with these areas and I'm sure they will be added to as the year goes on.

Living Purposefully:

-as a wife
-as a mother
-as a daughter
-as a sister
-as a friend
-as a servant
-as a child of God
-as a child care provider
-as a learner

So far the areas I've got certain goals in place are:

-As a child of God
     -to know Jesus more
          -read one chapter per day starting with John
          -record thoughts and impressions as I read
          -regular prayer times
     -to be obedient to what He asks in His word as revealed to me
     -to love others better as each opportunity rises
     -participate in the church 3 day fast

-As a wife
     -practice courtesty
     -practice a more gentle voice
     -read a couple of Godly marriage themed teaching books

-As a child care provider
     -refresh my litany of crafts
     -revamp my craft room

-As a learner
     -learn to use my big girl camera out of the automatic mode

That was my start so far.  A lot of it is the breaking of bad habits I've allowed to slip in and making new ones to replace them.   The fasting dates have come and gone at church.  I participated and failed and started again.  Ye old flesh screams out at the thought of no food.  Reading a chapter a day of the Bible is going in jumps and stalls but I'm determined to make it a habit.  I'm 3/4 of the way through the first marriage themed book which also helps with another goal and that is my prayer goal.  It's a book by Stormie Omaritan on praying for your marriage.  Lots of good, good stuff in there.  You don't have to have a marriage on the rocks to glean good things from a good book and make a good marriage better or to gain insight and encouragement to be prepared for when the trials do come.  And don't let the title fool you, changing a marriage usually means changing oneself!  Practicing courtesy in marriage and daily interactions I'm determined to make a habit to where I don't even have to think about it, no matter how frustrated I am.  Baby steps on the way to making it happen.

So a not bad start to living a bit more, okay a lot more, purposefully this year.  We'll see what February holds.