New Year's Resolutions

I'm not one to make resolutions for the new year. I used to. But I never attained them. Never. I don't have the self-discipline to "lose 50 pounds" or "exercise every day" or "read the Bible in a year". I just don't. I do really well for about a week. Sometimes not even that long. I have decided that it's better not to make these huge overdone resolutions in the first place.

What I am doing this year, instead of resolutions, is some simple goals and a verse for the year.

The verse is recycled, but the Lord led me back to it recently.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength...
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
~Isaiah 30:15, 18

Pastor Israel made Is. 30:15 our church's verse for the year in 2008. He had a picture that went along with it. It was of a very tiny baby cradled securely in a pair of large hands. I wish I could find the picture because it fit perfectly. Anyway, like I said, I was led back to this passage recently. The verses "in the middle" (16-17) describe Israel depending on their own power and the strength of Egypt to save them. And the Lord chastises them for not depending on HIM. Ah, but then v. 18 comes in! The Lord longs to be gracious and show you compassion! I want the Lord's grace. I want His compassion. I want to rest and wait in Him.

So that is goal #1: Repentance. Rest. Quietness. Trust.

Goal #2: I want to be in the Word more. But more than that, I want to learn to love God's Word! I want to savor it and desire it. A timely post from the Holy Experience blog has inspired me even more to embrace this goal. Read it here.

Goal #3: I want to learn to bake bread. Now that I have the tools, I want to start using them. I want to bake fresh, delicious, nutritious bread for my family with an end goal of giving up store-bought bread completely. It's the only health-related goal on my list, but I feel it is important enough to add.

And that's it. I think these 3 goals will be plenty. I will still be working to maintain the progress I made last year and not lose traction. Hopefully at the end of 2009 I will be able to look back and see new tracks made as I forged ahead toward my goals.