What will God do with you in 2009?

I've got to admit that I've never been a New Year's resolution kind of person. Never. But this year, I'm taking a little different approach.

In my last post, I mentioned goals. Yes, I do have a few goals for this year. My first goal is to run a race. I have never in my life participated in a race, but that is something that I want to do this year. I actually have a particular race in mind, and as the time for that race approaches I'll give more information about it. Believe it or not, this crazy idea that I--Megan--can run a race came up before Christmas. I go to the gym in the early mornings, before everyone else in our home gets up for the day, and have used that time--especially the travel time to and from the gym--for prayer and fellowship with God. It's the quietest part of my day, the time of day when there is no one else and nothing else to distract me, so I use this time for fellowship with my Father. It was during one of those early morning prayer times that the idea of a race came up. During prayer, the particular race was given to me...when I looked it up on the Internet, I was surprised to find that it is a longer race than I anticipated! Boy, is there ever some work ahead! I don't think I ever ran an entire Field Test at ORU... and this is twice the distance!

Another personal goal is to become more organized in different areas of my life. So, my first step in organization may seem really basic to a lot of others, but it is essential: I need to make a schedule of things to do each day of the week. I'm not talking about preschool field trips and doctor's appointments and hair cuts. I'm talking about household chores. Oh, they get done now, but with a lot of disorganization and stress. I'll get started with the dishes and the dryer will stop, so I'll take the clothes out of the dryer and put another load in to dry, take the dry clothes into the living room to fold them, see that there are toys that need to be picked up and put away, and then remember that the upstairs bathroom garbage needs to be emptied.... when I finally make it back to the kitchen, I see a sink full of lukewarm, soapy water and dirty dishes on the counter and wonder how I ever got that far off track. So, the daily "to do" list is being formed--a realistic list of things that can be done on a given day, not a supermom list of cleaning, laundry, and a gourmet, five-course meal for dinner.

The Lord has really been speaking to me during the last several months about getting the stress out of my life. I want my children to remember their growing up years as a fun time, not a stressful time. We do have a lot of fun--even more so now that some stress has already been eliminated--but there are still the moments of self-induced stress that really could be avoided if there were more organization.

My husband and I have prayed about our children's education and really believe that we are to embark on the grand adventure of home schooling. So, I have spent some time during the last several months exploring options and learning about the laws surrounding home schooling in our state. There is so much more to learn! Our sweet Abby will be five on her birthday in a few months, so Kindergarten is right around the corner. So, I guess you could say that one of our family "goals" is to start the home schooling process. We are excited to take this next step with her!

I don't have goals, per se, set in stone for 2009. But I do seek God daily for His agenda for my day. Some days--like today--it's as simple as sitting at the kitchen table and playing several hands of "Go Fish" with Abby or letting Hayden "help" while I sweep the kitchen floor. Other days, the agenda is to make a phone call or write a note to someone.

What will God do with you in 2009? Have you dared to ask Him?

Before you step away from your computer, I want to invite you to read a college friend's blog on this very thing. Take a look at Glenn's blog post entitled "Why Resolutions Miss the Mark." Let what Glenn shares challenge your thinking. And then take this challenge: Step into your prayer closet and ask God what He wants for you in 2009. Too much for you to start with? Then ask Him what He has on the agenda for you today. Then do your part and follow through with His plan for your day, your week, your month, your year. At the end of 2009, you will be able to look back and see all that God has done with you, in you, and through you because you dared to ask Him what He had planned for you. When we stop putting our own goals and desires first and move God to that number one spot, we will find out that life will be much richer and much more fulfilling than we ever dreamed it could be.

It's been a while...

I know that it's been a while since I've posted a new blog. Quite a while, actually. I got caught up in all of the holiday planning-baking-shopping-family stuff and am just now starting to settle back into a routine of things. It has helped that Abby has been back in preschool this week. That has helped get us all back on schedule.

That being said, I've got a few things rolling around in my head that I really want to put down here. One of my goals for this year is to blog at least twice a week. (Come back to see my post on goals!) But I also need to keep priorities in check and make sure other things are done first before sitting down at the computer.

Check back later for a real post... it should be up no later than tomorrow night!