2018 Resolutions...Loading

Hey family,

This was a craft the 3 of us created as a family. Clearly mama took hers seriously lol.

I will share my thoughts behind everything but will not spend too much time on them because I would rather let you know how God moves things at the end of the year. Although these are my “expectations”, I want God’s will for me more than I want my own. As I did for explaining my 2017 goals, if the categories are related, they may be grouped together.

Closer to God

My #1 goal is to be closer to God, to grow deeper with him. Every day is a chance to encounter him. My very being needs him to survive and to thrive. I’ve lived a life “luke-warm” for 26 years and I want to spend eternity with him; all the way, in all of his ways. Some of y’all just want God for particular things, and you feel like you can handle the rest. Been there, done that!  No thanks for me. I know we have free will but I relinquish all of my control unto him. He can handle it all while I sit as his feet, and REST!

Rest

God gives us rest, we just choose the opposite. The world has us thinking we always have to be somewhere or doing something. Instead, I choose spiritual rest and physical rest moving forward. It’s this song that I love by Darius Brooks titled “Safe In His Arms”. The verse says

“For the Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need. He allows me to rest in the meadows grass, and he leads me beside the quiet stream. He restores my failing hands. And he helps me to do all that honors him. That’s why I’m safe, that’s why I’m safe, that’s why I’m safe in his arms”

which is taken from Psalms 23:1-3. The KJV reads

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”

Honeyyyy. I do not know anything more restful than being in nature; lying in the grass, looking up at the sky, listening to bird’s chirping and other nature calls. Shoot, almost every warm day last year my daughter and I spent time at the arboretum or park under a tree, or not, listening to the sounds, and relaxing. That’s one of the ways I feel closest to God – being in His creation. 

My analogy on rest is this. I manufactured a car, you bought it. It breaks down but it’s covered by warranty. Would you rather fix it yourself, doing all the labor but it’s still not quite fixed? Or would you rather bring it to me, the manufacturer, the creator, who knows all the parts and pieces, and how they fit together. All you have to do is leave it in my care. Until I have made the necessary repairs, you can relax. You can read a book in the waiting room, grab a cup of tea, or even take a stroll nearby. You can have peace of mind knowing that everything will be handled and made like new again.

 

Also, a part of being closer to God is holiness. I initially just wrote holy and went back to add the (ness) part – so don’t mind the spelling haha. In Leviticus 20:26, one of God’s commandments was for the Children of Israel to be holy because the Lord is holy.  So if I am serious about living for him, I am going to be serious about being holy. I’ll give it all up. The way I dress, talk, handle relationship, music I listen to, and the places that I go. I want everything to be washed and cleaned by God and I will try to do my part in keeping it that way. 

Love

I am a believing God for my love life. I have both dating and courting on my poster. What I meant for dating was for my boyfriend and I to start dating another again. However, I am now in a place where dating will come after marriage. Dating without intentions led to my beautiful bundle of joy, which was created by sin. I want to be courted. And it aint too late! I am completely marriage minded now. Marriage is work. I do not just want marriage but don’t want what it takes to have a successful one. So another goal for me is to practice planting seeds, laboring for the growth of that seed, and experiencing the fruit thereof. 

As previously mentioned, I want more kids. AFTER MARRIAGE! I am stay-at-home mom. I absolutely love having the opportunity to play a huge role in my daughter’s development; and to watch her grow every day. I’m such a family person and I see homemaking as one of my ministries. Shoutout to my future husband whom I will love and care for dearly. Most importantly, I want the family and love life that God intended for me.

Godly Relationships

I want more God focused and centered friends. Right now, I have about 2, on a good day. Haha. I know God likes to place us in positions to be used, and I’d be more effective in places where people are struggling in their faith and belief in Christ; which pretty much means, God likes to put me in a room full of unbelievers where I am the only one. Lol. God, all I am asking for is balance here. I want to be able to talk about the bible, my testimonies, the greatness of God without being told I talk about God too much. Yes, I’ve been told that. Maybe even avoided, lol. Hey! As I grow with God, the less I care. 

When I get to heaven, I can’t say “Well, see God, what happened  was, I stopped talking about your goodness and glory because insert name didn’t want me to”. If my heart is full to talk about him, even if it’s empty, I will still talk about him.  Listening to others who tell you opposite of God will get you in big trouble. In 1^st Samuel, when Saul disobeyed God by not utterly destroying the Amalekites and brought back the spoil which he was supposed to have destroyed, God took the kingdom away from him. Eventually, Saul’s character of disobedience led to his death. No thanks!

My newest addition

As mentioned, my goals for 2018 will grow as the year progresses. Most recently, I’ve committed myself to saving souls for Christ. I have had too many dreams of the world’s passing and I want to get as many people to fall in love with Jesus before it’s too late. There is no real connection to the Father without the Son. God is the socket and Jesus is the plug. 

Just for a wow-factor, the definition of a plug is a device for making an electrical connection, especially between an appliance (you) and a power supply(God). Just meditate on that and be blown away with me. My period of questioning Jesus’s identity, although shameful, was a necessary experience to be able to identify with today’s generation, to bring them back to Christ. Mission activated and loading!

What are you 2018 Resolutions? Do they include God?

Peace be with you!