Skinny Jeans ... and other trends I am so not into!
I mostly abhor trends in making new years resolutions. I'm sorry. It just gets on my nerves! It's already a step-back to say on January 1 that your past year came up short in one area ... weight loss ... reading ... goal setting ... relationships ... letter writing ... too much of this ... not enough of that ... agh! I am all for stepping up your game, improving that which is inadequate, doing your best ... yadda, yadda, yadda. However, let's not set ourselves up for failure!
Now, after saying all that ... let me say this. I love a new start. Every January 1, I buy myself a new journal. I usually accompany that journal with a new pen. It's a natural time to start something new. I love expecting that as of January 1 ... I am charting a new path, gaining new marching orders, living some sort of new dream that has been established just for me - exclusively.
This morning under grey skies and a nip in the air because I'm too lazy to turn on the room heater and weird enough to love the bite that comes with the cold ... I'm writing in my new journal. I'm starting the year off by writing a letter ... to God. I've learned that when I write, I consciously try to write as if I know no one will ever read what has been written on these sacred pages ... ever ... and I can say (write) whatever comes to mind ... however daunting, shocking, loving, honest and real. This activity alone has probably saved me thousands of dollars in counseling and medication! It's not self help. It's not unhealthy dependence on some unknown force. It's not putting hope in some activity that will bring a state of well-being. It's my relationship with a real person ... who just happens to be ... God.
I've been reading the Bible all my life. However, when I was 20 years old, something happened to me. I had an encounter with this God that seemed like a fictional character and something only others could identify with. It was after this encounter that something alive happened. When I picked up the Bible, I saw new things. Not trends. New principles. New ways of living. New ideas that went against culture. New mindsets. It set my life on fire ... a fire that now 24 years later still burns within me.
This morning ... I believe that what I am reading in the Bible ... these radical concepts: love your enemies ... don't judge others ... don't condemn others ... forgive others ... will continue to do a new thing in my life ... even after all these years. A relationship with God ... begins, everyday ... new. I am always in a position of a student. I am always amazed at the refreshing of a holy God loving me and realigning my attitude to be one that mirrors His.
Now, if you are a trend-setter ... a new year's resolution kind of person ... please be blessed and don't hold a grudge against me! You go on with your trend-setting self ... and your resolutions ... and may you fit into those skinny jeans and work it! However, I am gonna stick to my routine that sometimes rocks my world, brings me to my knees or elevates me to the heavens. I'm gonna continue to discover and rediscover this one I'm in a relationship with for the long haul ... and see new things through His eyes. It's an adventure. It's a challenge. It's a time commitment. It's ... a journey that will occupy most of my waking hours all throughout this new year.
0 comments