Hello, New Year!
by Candice Watters on 01/04/2010 at 11:25 AM
I love Sharpies. The bold colors. The consistent lines. The permanent ink. New Sharpies are to me now what new crayons used to be on the first day of school.
You can tell when you need new Sharpies because they start to dry out. And the tips of the pens go from round to square, making it hard to complete the curves of certain letters. They start to look tired, showing the wear and tear of all those notes, letters, lists and doodles.
It so happened that this year, I bought a new set in December, and opened it this weekend to kick off the New Year (don't worry, we did more than that to celebrate). I took the green one out of the package to journal over the weekend, and the purple one to write out plans for the coming year. The ink was consistent, the lines thin, the curves ... curvy. Joy. (It's the little things.)
And this brings me to the real point of this post: the planning. As Steve's shared in the past, it's a consistent and important part of our New Year's day to look back at where we've been and more importantly, look ahead to where we want (and need) to go.
O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
That passage, from the Daily Light's January 1 morning reading, is an apt start to a new year. As we undertake lists of resolutions, goals, hopes, plans, dreams — whatever you call the way we tend to embrace this clean slate of a new year with new and better intentions — we do well to remember that we are unable to direct our own steps. There is humility and great comfort in that truth.
That's not to say we should just let time happen to us without any thought to our ways. Planning is good and helpful. Having a sense of direction makes it more likely we'll get where we should go. Some of the questions we answered (that you could also ask yourself) to help us set priorities for the year ahead include:
- What would you like to see different about your life one year from now?
- What would you like to have accomplished in that time?
- How can you improve your relationships, your school work or professional work?
- What purchases would you like to make?
- Where would you like to travel?
- What growth or change would you like to see in your spiritual life, professional life, social life, physical well-being?
- What things do you enjoy most; what are your favorite things?
- What things do you wish you could stop doing?
1. Tami said the following at 11:41 AM on Jan 4:
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I got some new daily devotionals, which I hope will help me stay disciplined. Four days in, so far so good. :) The devotionals ask some of the types of questions you've listed above (plus some that are more specific, of course), and I'm keeping a journal in which I respond to the questions and my other prayers and reflections.
I accept the fact that I seem to need a structured study and devotional plan to help me stay on track. Sometimes it's hard to find the right thing, and sometimes I start a bunch of different things before finding something I stick with, but I really appreciate something that can help me stay consistent.
I know a lot of people really benefit from the read-the-Bible-in-a-year plans as well.
2. Tami said the following at 11:56 AM on Jan 4:
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Oh yeah... I agree... there's nothing like a new pack of pens. I love Sharpies, and I also love gel pens. Especially the sparkly ones.
3. RLynn said the following at 12:00 PM on Jan 4:
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I've been using a chronological Bible for the last year and it's great! Adds a great perspective to one's daily read to read things in the (thought of) order they happened, instead of by genre.
4. Jaye said the following at 12:10 PM on Jan 4:
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It may seem a strange thing to hear from a seminary student, but I'd like to see my life more focused on God and less on the books; when I began my march into post-graduate work, it didn't seem such a difficult thing to do - to maintain my daily walk with God, but I think I've slowly become like the little froggy in the pot of boiling water. Uggh! That needs to change!
I'd like to be more involved in a local church, with more accountability and more time spent in fellowship during the week there, and I think that means stepping up to the plate and becoming a member at the church I've currently been worshiping with here. I've been in this locale now for nearly 6 months, and I think it's time to take that step.
I'd like to go on another short term missions trip to Romania. I was thinking back about the time of greatest spiritual growth in my walk with God - I will have been a Christian for 8 years now on February 17th =) - and I realized that I did the most growing, the most relying on God's strength and provision during the time I spent as a short term missionary in Romania. It was where He gave me a calling on my life and a purpose for my future, and what eventually led me down the path that I'm on right now. I think it's time to go back there again.
And this one's just for you, Candice! I am ever on the look out for that godly Christian man whom the Lord has chosen for me. I am praying for him, whoever he is and wherever he is, and praying for myself. I want to continue down my path toward becoming a more godly Christian woman myself, so that when I finally do meet him (if I haven't already) he'll say "At last, bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!" Yeah, cheesy, I know, but sometimes I just can't help it ;) I do want to work toward becoming a more godly gal, though, who would make a great wife for some single guy out there who's looking for a helper, with all her flaws and fix-up-ables, but with a desire to serve God, too. I'm glad I've got the Boundless smack-down weekly to help me see the light!
5. Candice Watters said the following at 2:27 PM on Jan 4:
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Jaye, thanks for the shout out! I think you're in a great place the way you're praying for a husband and being intentional in the meantime!
Happy New Year. :)
6. Sarah P. said the following at 3:13 PM on Jan 4:
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I ran a film festival last year, and I want to do it again this year. That's a biggie. Also, I want to finish earning my 2nd degree TKD black belt. I have plenty other plans as well... whether I get to keep them or not, this should be an interesting year. :)
7. Heather said the following at 7:52 PM on Jan 4:
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Candace, this is my experience with Precise V5 extra fine point pens made by Pilot! They are the ONLY pens suitable for an English teacher (perfect for commenting on essays).
I rang in the New Year very cynically, and I didn't feel like making any New Year's Resolutions like I normally do with vigor. So, I appreciate that list of questions you came up with. I'm going to spend some time thinking about those. But, this is a good starting place. Thanks for blogging!
8. Candice Watters said the following at 10:25 AM on Jan 5:
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Heather, you're so welcome! It's always such an encouragement to keeping doing it when I hear it's an encouragement to those reading it!
And for grading, and all other routine writing (paying bills, grocery lists, etc.), I'm hooked on the EXACT SAME PENS by Pilot!! Black. :)
9. Leah said the following at 5:24 AM on Jan 8:
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Tami - Gel pens are the BOMB.