01.01.13

The house is silent, except for the gentle roar of the dishwasher.  The kids are sleeping soundly in preparation for their first day back to school.  Their excitement is fueled by the fact that tomorrow is their Christmas party, which had to be canceled earlier due to a winter storm.  I have been reminded of how quickly they are growing, how short our time really is, and how much I must make the most of each moment we have together. 

My husband is sleeping in preparation for another workday.  I'm thankful he was able to spend the holiday at home with us.  He usually finds something important to do even on his days off, and today was no different; he spent this morning installing and trimming out an oak door for our basement.  How I love this man I married!  I can honestly say he loves me just like the Bible tells him to.  I don't take that for granted.  Not for one second.

And then there is me.  Sitting up way too late, clicking away at the keyboard.  The festive, lively atmosphere created by the guests of our New Year's Eve party just 24 short hours ago has been replaced by a quiet, purposefully reflective serenity that begs me to evaluate where I am and where I want to be at the close of 2013, which we all know will be here much too quickly.

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions.  Maybe it's because I don't know that I will have the resolve to lose 50 pounds like my husband has, organize my house from top to bottom like some of the bloggers I envy, or even move my photos to a storage device like any smart person who knows that the inevitable always happens. 

But in the quiet of my mind, it seems that God is directing me to Ecclesiastes 9:10.  It's a verse that most of us learned as children:

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;

for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,

in the grave, whither thou goest." 

 

As I stand here at the brink of a new year, I don't find myself awash with new responsibilities or new opportunities.  My assignments could be seen by many as boring or repetitive.  However, they are mine.  And I want to do them better.  I want to do them with all of my might, knowing that exercising my will toward the will of my Master in turn strengthens me for greater responsibilities and greater opportunities. 

 

Three of my goals for this year:

• LOVE - my husband as perfectly as possible
• NURTURE - my children and the children that are entrusted to me in the classroom
• SERVE - those who need me most, in my family, my church, and my community

The words love, nurture, and serve sound short and sweet, and even easy.  But I know the depth of meaning they contain.  When we put our heart and our hands behind these words, there will likely be pain and sacrifice involved.  That is part of being better.  Being willing to lay aside our hurts, our comforts, our ambitions if necessary, to fulfill His Will.  

 

Happy New Year!