Goals

My two favorite months are August and January. I love these months because they mark the beginning of the school year and the beginning of the calendar year. I just love the feeling of a nice, clean, fresh start.

I was really inspired by Dave Ramsey's podcast on January 4th, 2010. So inspired that I listened to it again today. Here are some of his points that really stuck out to me:


On average, resolutions last about 45 days - That's about to Valentine's Day.


So what should we do? Don't make resolutions - set goals! The difference is that goals are specific and determined. If you wanna "change your entire freakin life," not just 45 days of it, then make goals!


Goals should:
1.) Be Specific
2.) Be Measurable
3.) Be YOUR Goal
4.) Have a Time Limit
5.) Be Put in Writing


To read more about what Dave says about the importance of setting goals, read his Goal Setting 101 here.

My goals are pretty personal, but I will share parts of them here. All of my goals can be pretty much be put into five "BIG" goals (in no particular order):

1. Grow Closer to the Lord
2. Be a Better Wife/Mom
3. Take Better Care of Myself
4. Be a Better Steward of my Money
5. Be a Better Teacher

I realize that these are not very measurable, but I promise they will be. My plan is to make smaller, measurable goals that fit into these bigger goals. I am still trying to flesh these goals out. In the meantime, I will leave you with these quotes:

Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." Cavat Roberts


"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin


"Decide what you are going to do differently this year. Otherwise this is going to be just another year. What kind of wimpified existence is just another year??" Dave Ramsey

Some Things the Lord Promises

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.



Psalm 37:4


⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



Philippians 4:6-7


Warning - Rambling Follows. I am not trying to preach at anyone, I just want to share some things I have been meditating on recently.

Lately I have been making more of an effort to incorporate Scripture into my prayers. I have found that the more intentional I am about it, the easier it gets. Sometimes verses pop into my head (or rather, my heart) while I am praying and I know it has to be the LORD because they are sometimes verses that I do not know very well or have not thought about for quite a while.

I will not unload on you all of the things that I have been struggling with lately, but let's just say that I have been kind of anxious lately. As I was praying about some of these things, the Lord really laid Proverbs 3:5 right out in front of me. I couldn't even remember where exactly it came from and had to look it up. The next day I was praying through that verse again, when I felt the other two verses laid on my heart.

To me it pretty much breaks down like this.
The Lord asks us to do some things, and promises us things in return.
1.) Trust in Him, not your own measly thoughts, submit to him in every area = He will make your paths straight. Notice how it doesn't say he will make your paths easy. The Lord never promises us an easy road, but I for sure want to be on his straight path!
2.) Delight in Him and you will have what your heart desires. I have heard people twist this one around A LOT. About 99.9% of the time, my heart of flesh desires things that are ABSOLUTELY not good for me. But that's the problem. When I truly delight in the Lord, the desires of my heart will be his desires, not the fleshly ones that bring destruction.
3.) Don't be anxious! Pray with thanksgiving and give it over to him. In return, he will give us this awesome peace that we cannot even comprehend! This is one of those verses that pretty much explains itself. And I don't know about you, but I want some of that peace!!

So here's what I'm praying for right now:

• That the Lord would help me trust in him completely and help me to stop trying to think my own way through things.
• That he will help me seek him in all my ways (everything I do).
• That he will show me how to truly delight in him.
• That he will help me be obedient by being anxious over nothing
• That he will help me to remember to submit my requests to him and to do so with thanksgiving.
• Above all to know that I cannot do any of this on my own and need his strength to work miracles in little old me every step of the way.
• That he will give me patience to know that all of this happens on his timetable - not mine.

And because of his Word, here's what I know I will get in return:

• He will make my paths straight.
• He will give me the desires of my heart.
• My heart and mind will be guarded by a peace so awesome that I cannot even understand it!