New Year's Resolutions Or Not

I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions. They can sound so noble, so spiritual, even. But along comes January 23 or somewhere around there, and they have fallen by the wayside, while we struggle in the muck and mire of defeat and discouragement. So I boycott all resolutions. But somewhere along the way, I discover I have become hardened to the awe of a new year, a new page, a fresh start, and I wonder...Is there something good about reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future? Does reflection make me think? Check my direction. Ponder my choices. Re-evaluate my time. Could it be that there is some value in being quiet before God in this yearly event of hanging up the new calendars?

Of course, I have regrets. I didn't always love like I should've, extend grace to others, enjoy my children enough, or appreciate my husband like I could have. I missed opportunities that nearly hit me in the face, I said unkind words, I struggled with unanswered prayers. I wondered where God was hiding.

So what is the guarantee that 2012 will be any better?

I have some things pressing on my heart. I don't think they are there by accident. I believe God put them there. A small stirring to do more...to stretch myself...and so I look forward to-

-intercessory prayer
-digging in God's Word
-growing in receiving and extending grace
-reaching out to lonely people
 Here's one of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors, "All that we see around us all the time, that is what we risk never really seeing at all." {Ann Voskamp}