Looking at the New Year

Well, 2009 has come and gone, and now I am facing 2010. I've gotten off to a fairly slow start, simply because life throws things at me faster than I can catch them. The new year started off for me with sick kiddos and a few days of babysitting for friends who needed some help. Hence, this late posting of my New Year thoughts and those things that I would like to accomplish in the months ahead.

I'm not one to readily make resolutions of the things that I want to do in the new year. The few times that I have tried to do this, I found myself falling short of them by May, let alone December. Why set unattainable goals that I feel I need to accomplish and set myself up for disappointment and frustration? Nope.

I took a different approach this year. I prayed first and sought the Lord for His will in my life, and I told Him I desire fruitfulness above all else. Whatever I put my heart, mind, and hands to do, I want to see fruit. I don't want it to be "just another year." I want it to be a year of accomplishments, successes in the Lord, and fruitfulness.

So, here are the few things that I know I will be doing this year:

1. Prioritizing my to-do list. There are some things that I really don't need to be doing, and there are some things that I do need to be doing. Whatever I am doing, I want to be doing what God has called me to do, not what I think I need to be doing.
"Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established." ~ Prov. 16:3

2. Managing my time. I fell short of this in the past year. I could have gotten a lot more accomplished if I had set up a schedule for myself and followed it. It has become an important goal for me this year.

3. Managing the finances of our household. This will be done with my husband, obviously. I want to see the fruit of our labors spent wisely. I want to be a good steward of what the Lord has provided. I want to be debt free as soon as possible. Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University will be airing in our home as often as possible!
"...And the borrower is servant to the lender..." ~ Prov. 22:7b

4. Volunteering. I have a desperate need to get out of myself. I work at home, so home is where I am most of the time. After awhile, isolation starts to set in, and I find myself scratching at the walls (almost). It is time to get out and do something. I want to do something for someone else. I will be volunteering in the classrooms that my children attend. I will be volunteering at the local horse rescue. I will be volunteering elsewhere, as God leads.

5. Developing my writing career. This is where I will be focusing my work attention this year. I will be working on my own writing, including blogging, writing for magazines, and writing a book. I want to take the talents that God has given me and put them to good use. It is a total step of faith for me, and I'm sure that there will be moments when I feel like I have no clue where I am going. But, I am trusting God and His directive.

And there you have it! My focus for 2010. My ultimate hope in looking at these is that God will be glorified in all I do, my family will benefit from Mom getting things lined up and in order, and that I will bear good fruit.