New Year...New You

Okay, I know I'm a little late but Happy New Year and welcome to a new you! Some scorn New Year's resolutions believing them to be a set up for failure. Others are just too pessimistic to believe for change. Still, others prefer to call them "goals." Whichever terminology you use, I am always in favor of folks taking any opportunity to improve themselves, self included.

Every New Year is a time for us to reflect upon last year's mistakes and successes. Someone once said, "If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't trying." I concur. Think about the goals you made for 2010. Were you successful in completing them? I used to beat myself up about not finishing what I had started. It's one of my own pet peves. Then, I had an ephiphany: whatever progress I made was indeed progress! I hadn't "failed" at completing something, I had succeeded in beginning it in the first place.

So many times it's easy for us to be down on ourselves, always striving, without taking a look at what we actually have accomplished. So what if you didn't lose all 20 pounds you set out to lose. What did you do? You lost 5? Great! You joined a gym? Fantastic. Keep up the good work. The Bible says, "Steady plodding brings prosperity," Proverbs 21 :5a TLB. Little by little, day by day, moment by moment and before you know it, those dreams and goals have materialized in their entirety. Sure, there may be times when we need to refocus, recharge or recommit ourselves, but keep the long term goal in mind. You will make it if you continue to try.

Allow 2011 to introduce you to an all new you. Let this be your year to see those resolutions flourish.

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Risky Risky

Today, I took a risk
I've dreamt this dream a long while
I've flirted with it
Took a baby step here
A baby step there
But today I took the plunge
Only God knows where He'll take me
But come what may
I can finally say
I made a dream a reality
And stepped into the unknown

Is there something you have been dreaming about?  Longing to do? 
If so, what's keeping you from "stepping out there"?

Raining Joy

Tonight, for the first time in a long time, I cried. But these were no ordinary tears. It feels so good to cry tears of joy instead of tears of shame or pain. I am overwhelmed at God's amazing love and how He shows me it in the smallest of ways. I can't stand in His presence...my knees are weak. Yet here I am, totally captivated by His sweet mercies and caught up in his loving embrace.

I truly can't imagine living my life without Him. From the outside, some may wonder why I'm so grateful. My bills aren't all paid, my relationships aren't always right, and my kids make me want to hide in my closet at times. But when I reflect over this time, this season, right now, I know I am exactly where I should be. His grace overwhelms me.

What about you? When's the last time you cried? Were they tears of joy or pain? Heartache or shame? Confusion? Loss? My hope for you is that your tears will turn into tears of joy...raining joy and you, like me, will become captivated by the One who loves you so.