I’m feeling great after a much needed break. My son, Joshua, turned 2 the day after Christmas. I’m not sure how 2 years went by so fast, but it did. During the close of 2018 and the dawn of 2019, my wife, who is an amazing photographer (you can check out her work at creatorslens.com), had a wedding to shoot in Birmingham, AL. She did a great job, and the extra day in Birmingham that was given to us was so appreciated. On New Year’s day we went to the Birmingham Zoo with some friends of ours who attended the wedding the night before. It was a great experience. Prior to all of this stuff, I began a diet. I say all of that to say that it has been an eventful turn of a new year and I’m feeling great about 2019. The dawn of a new year is a natural time for people to seek life-change. As the year closes we look back and are reminded not only of successes, but of failures too. I’m not immune to this and, personally, I think it is a healthy exercise. So here are a couple of my new year challenges and why I’m pursuing them.
#1: Eat healthy
This one is at the top of many new year resolution lists. My reasoning for it is probably not much different than most. I’ve dealt with higher stress levels over the past couple of years than I’ve dealt with in my life up to this point. Because of this stress, I avoided worrying about my health (who needs another ‘thing’ to worry about, right?). The problem is that being physically unhealthy doesn’t help you deal with stress. If anything, it makes it worse. So part one of my reasons for eating healthy is to help me deal with stress in a healthier way. Part two is that I want to be in better shape for my son’s sake. He’s two and he isn’t getting any less energetic. I want to be able to run around with him in the yard and not feel like I’m going to collapse from cardiac arrest. That brings me to part three. My family has a history of heart problems and diabetes. I don’t want to welcome those things in with my lack of concern for my health from day to day. I have a wife and a son that I want to stick around with, Lord willing. The main, overarching, reason for this goal is that I know that my eating habits were SIN. I am seeking to repent. The other reasons are really only benefits of my obedience to the Lord in an area of life that many of us often sweep under the rug as a “minor” among the “majors”. I’m not guiltless of this. I’ve been living in a glutinous lifestyle for a while and have done so knowing that it needed to change. I’m hoping to make the change and be obedient to the Lord.
#2: Be Structured/Organized
Once again, this is not a unique goal. Part of the stress problem that I mentioned under the first goal applies here as well. If I’m being honest, much of the stress I’ve been under comes more from my lack of organization of the many things on my plate than the things themselves. So I’ve decided to start with the fundamentals. I have pondered the importance of how I start and finish my day. As a result I’ve set a bedtime for myself and a wake-up time for myself. This seems extremely elementary, because it is. Many of you have a job or certain circumstances that force you into this kind of thinking. And that is great! I’m no different. One of the reasons for me setting this goal, is to be a better contributor to my family and to my workplace. Sleep is good for the brain. That one was easy to figure out. The other benefit that I’m seeking with this goal is a better morning routine that really fuels me up for a productive day that glorifies the Lord. Much like the previous goal, this one is guided by conviction as well. If I’m not being a good steward of my time, I’m not glorifying God. I’m being more like the sluggard spoke of in Proverbs. I need structure because I need to intentionally seek to glorify God with the time that He has so graciously given to me.
These goals are fundamentals. I believe that pursuing these will lead to greater success in other areas of life as well. I hope to look back on 2019 and say that I glorified God by pursuing these goals. I hope to be encouraged by the extra benefits of pursuing these goals as well. My friends and co-workers are worth my intentionality. My family is worth my intentionality. God is worth my intentionality. May the Lord be glorified in the lives of His Church this year and for the years to come.
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