My 2009 Resolutions

Yesterday's devotional was a great one for the beginning of the year...I want to share it with you:

The new year brings hope. As we look into the year that opens before us, we would like to think that it could be better than the one behind us. That yearning for something better is a gift from God and a promise that the hope can be realized. God wants the year before you to be the best that you have ever had. The key lies in where you look for fulfillment. It must not be within yourself, for your resources have not suddenly increased. You need resources that are fresh and new and can enable you to claim a measure of effectiveness and fulfillment that you have not yet known. God is the God who wants to make all things new, and His presence can be recognized by the element of radical promise that confronts us when we come to know Him. With God comes the word that the future can be better than the present. When Abraham met God, the experience contained a promise staggeringly large. It was that the barrenness of an old woman, and the emptiness of a home would change. When God met Moses, in that meeting was the assurance that Moses was made for more than defeat and shepherding. The promise was given to him that God would use him to set his people free. In fact, Moses was to be God's man to build a nation.

The very mark of the people of God in the Old Testament was that their faces were turned toward the future and were marked by confidence and expectation. Can we who live on THIS SIDE of Bethlehem, Calvary, Easter, and Pentecost do otherwise?

Are you living in expectation of great things to come in 2009? It doesn't mean that things are going to be perfect, but we who serve a Great God have a hope that He has great things in store for our lives....exciting things! Are we living the dreams that He has given us?

Heather's 2009 Resolutions: (well, at least some of them)

Marriage:

• Pray for Nathan everyday
• Read the book Love and Respect again
• Show my husband the respect that God wants me to show him!

Motherhood:

• Pray for my kids everyday
• Play with my kids everyday without distraction (set aside time for fun!)
• Expect a lot from my kids...they can do great things & I need to expect it from them!

Health:

• Continue doing the things which have brought me to health: taking my Shaklee vitamins/ protein drink daily, drink lots of water, eat lots of whole grains, and avoid simple sugars (as much as possible), exercise
• Get 7 hours of sleep a night (at this time in my life 8 hours may not be possible, but I do realize that I need more sleep!)

Something I've always wanted to do:

• Run a Marathon....this year's goal is a half marathon
• Have something published

Spiritual goals:

• Believe God for great things!
• Read the Bible everyday
• Spend time in prayer everyday