Plus I love looking back and remembering - where was I this time last year? 3 years ago? 7 years ago? It's probably why I like blogging and taking pictures too.
I mentioned these categories in the original post (with a little more explanation), but here they are again. Because I'm assuming you didn't memorize them. That'd be weird. [Addie started saying, "that's weird." It made me laugh and I asked Ben where she got that from. He laughed and said, "from you! you say that all the time." HAHAHA! #mini-me]
spiritual
physical
financial
intellectual
social
marriage
parenting
career
I also mentioned that I have 1 goal in each category.
Just 1.
Because less is more.
And because I'm a dreamer and it's easy for me to get carried away and think I can have 100 goals for 2015. But I'm zeroing in, and choosing a few things that are important and letting the rest wait.
And because you don't want to read my blog for the next 2 hours, I'll just do one category/ one goal per day. If you don't care about my goals for 2015, come back in a week :)
My Spiritual Goal for 2015 is... listening prayer.
Have you ever read Jesus Calling? I haven't. But I read the intro. She writes about her practice of listening to God. And how when she started listening, she heard God speaking, and she'd write down what He said. I stopped after the intro because I thought, I want to do that. I felt like God was really challenging me in this - asking me to take a step of faith. To tune into His voice more.
So, I have a notebook and a pen. And I sit down most mornings, read the Bible (currently via this reading plan), and then I listen. I put my phone out of sight, open my notebook, sit with a pen and coffee. And I listen. To hear what the Lord has to say. Sometimes, at first, I can only think of my to-do list so I keep a post it near by to write down things. Once they're on the list, I clear my mind. Sometimes this process takes 5 or 10 minutes or longer.
My mind is so busy.
Our world is so noisy.
I crave the quiet.
Don't you?
At first, I felt silly. But then I remembered how many times God met with people and spoke to them in scripture.
At first I felt strange - how do I know this is God talking to me? But then I remembered faith comes through hearing. I remember that Jesus said "my sheep hear my voice." I remember the Word of God is living and active and that He gave me the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me. And so it would be strange not to hear God's voice if I am truly His child.
And if I'm being honest, I'm a little wary of sharing this on here for people writing it off as some weird super-spiritual thing that goes along with people who attend those 'those weird evangelical churches.'
But here's the thing... it's not.
The more I study the Bible and hear it preached and learn from other Christians, the more I'm convinced of this: all religion is worthless save a relationship with the God who made you.
It's all about a relationship.
About God, who created you to love Him and to be loved by Him and to love others and make His love known to Him.
And so, weird and super-spiritual as it may sound, that is my goal. And if I'm going to know Him and love Him and experience His love and love others with His love [that's a lot of love in once sentence], then I'm going to need to be a good listener.
Well, there it is. My spiritual goal for 2015 is to listen, and to become a better listener.
What's yours?
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| this bible, notebook from target, this type of pen, mug from anthro and a gift from my sister (in-law) |
