You know how every year we say we don’t want to make resolutions because we never keep them, but secretly we really are going to make resolutions because we can’t help ourselves. There is something about a new year that brings us hope for a fresh start, a new beginning. Every year, I have resolved to lose 40 pounds, read my Bible, pray every morning and improve my parenting skills. I obviously have not read my bible or prayed sufficiently because my parenting skills are less Leave It to Beaver and more Married with Children. Also, that junk in my trunk has gone from a Minnie Cooper to a Wide Load.
But with this being 2012, I thought how can I motivate myself? Some of you may not know this but I have a slight tendency to overreact, worry and be a conspiracy theorist. It probably didn’t help that I watched every episode of the X-Files, believe Elvis’ death was a big CIA cover up and I don’t believe we landed on the moon. I know I seem perfectly rational and logical, but there is this little neurotic side of me that is actually going to come in handy this year with helping me keep my resolution goals.
A few years ago, I went to Cancun and I probably shouldn’t have visited the Mayan ruins. We had this really scary tour guide who told us the Mayan calendar is the most accurate calendar in the world and that it just sort of comes to an end on 12/12/12. WHAT? It probably didn’t help that I am contemplating this while touring all the sacrificial sites the Mayans used to torture people. I know this is one of the 7 wonders of the world, but if you are anything like me you may want to skip this wonder. Now the rational part of my brain is telling me, this is going to be another Y2K where I embarrassed myself and my poor husband by having loads of can food and barrels of water in the garage. Hey, no heckling everyone needs an earthquake kit. Anyways…..I thought to myself, how can I use the irrational part of my brain that is so thankful the last Twilight film comes out in November, to my benefit. You see, I figure if you are a runner and a giant pit-bull is chasing you, you are going to run faster; if you’re a swimmer and a shark is approaching, your going to swim faster; if your diet starts tomorrow and there is one piece of cheesecake left you are going to hurt somebody to reach it. You get my drift. If it all ends in 12 months, how do you want to go out? Of course, I am speaking metaphorically, it really isn’t going to end but ……what if it is…..no it’s not……but just in case ….these are my resolutions.
1. Read my Bible in it’s entirety. Man, this one is embarrassing. I have been saved 20 years and have not read it from front to back. My dad has an elementary education, got saved at 65 and has read it like 5 times. I figure if I am possibly going to meet my Maker this year, I had better read His book. Not that this is a requirement to get in, but it’s kind of like going to a book signing to meet an author and not reading their book. Plus, I hear it has really good instructions on parenting and conquering neurotic tendencies.
Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against you.
2. Pray everyday and not just because I messed up or need something. You know how all therapists say that the key to a good relationship is communication. The Bible says that the church is the bride of Christ and we, as God’s children, are the church, so that means we are His bride. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want a nagging and complaining bride. And God apparently doesn’t recommend one either because in Proverbs 21 He says, “It is better to live outside on the roof of your house or in the desert than live with a nagging and quarrelsome wife.” Lucky for us, God is more gracious than most husbands and Psalm 66:20 says “Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me.” But God is still male so I am going to keep my prayers legit and to the point because He also says in Mathew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not keep babbling like Pagans for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
3. Kiss my husband everyday. Ok, I totally grossed you out but bear with me. We are pretending it is the end of the world here! In an article, “The Health Benefits of Kissing”, it states that people who kiss their partner goodbye every morning, live five years longer than those that don’t. Kissing relieves stress, keeps facial muscles tight, decreases blood pressure and cholesterol, releases natural antibiotics and anesthetic to relieve pain, releases the happy hormone Oxytocin that creates a feeling of peace and releases endorphins more powerful than morphine and most importantly helps you lose weight. Kissing actually burns calories. If you kiss everyday, you will actually lose an extra pound. So between my new Sketchers butt shaping shoes that promise a J Lo butt and kissing my husband, I am actually going to accomplish my weight loss resolution!
Make this your resolution too because this Kissing Exercise Regimen is totally God approved. God says we need to visualize the spouse of our youth when they were as lovely as an angel and as beautiful as a rose. He says we should never stop delighting in them or take their love for granted. If you don’t believe me, look it up Proverbs 5:18. I even PG’d it for you.
4. Improve my parenting skills. Ok, I know some of you may be doubting my ability to accomplish this but I got this one in the bag. You see, my sister has a friend who read a book on parenting and it says something like you can make parenting mistakes as long as you counter it with a hug everyday and a word of encouragement. It’s kind of like what I learned in my child development class as a “compliment sandwich“. Your supposed to use this technique when talking to a parent about an issue with their child. You offer a compliment, then share the negative issue and finish it off with a compliment. So my parenting technique will be something like this, “Luci, I love you. Sorry I shattered your dreams about Santa Clause causing you disillusionment and pain. Can I give you a hug now?” And you were worried I couldn’t pull this off. Please….
Also, I should probably use the “compliment sandwich” in conjunction with the Bible cause Ephesians 6:4 says Do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the instructions of the Lord.
5. Lastly, discover and use my passion. I think as we age, we tend to lose sight of the things we are passionate about. We get caught up in day to day survival and lose our selves. When we are young, we are passionate about all sorts of things, friends, sports, crushes, dreams. But as we get older, we push our own dreams and desires aside. In order to be truly content you have be passionate about something. I truly believe God made us this way. God’s word says that He gave us all gifts.
Eph 4:7 Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.
2 Thess. 2:15 God, our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts.
God’s gifts to us are our talents. These talents will wither and die in our spirits if we don’t use them. I think that is why sometimes we feel discontented with life because we are not using our gifts as God intended. God says, “Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it - because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gave you. 1 Corinthians 14:1. “God doesn’t want us to be shy with His gifts, but bold.” 2 Timothy 1:5
This year I have joked with my sisters and friends that I have found my “happy” place. Now I know many of you think it is Edward from Twilight, that his sparkle has added glow to my life but you’re wrong. What it did was ignite my love of reading that I had neglected which in turn sparked my love of writing that I had overlooked. This desire to write has turned into my passion. I know God has given me this gift because I can’t contain it. When I write, I feel alive. What He wants me to do with this gift, I am not sure. But I know, like all of His gifts, I have to be bold and use it.
So this year as we approach 12-12-12, my prayer for you is that you join me in my kissing resolution for the benefits to your health and relationships. Just keep it behind closed doors because I don’t feel like seeing you make-out in public. Also, I pray that if you haven’t found your passion, that you take time to discover it. If you know what it is, I pray that you use it boldly for the glory of God. We are each given one life to live here on earth. The Bible says it is as fleeting as a vapor. I am turning 43 in two weeks, and I have realized that I don’t want to waste time anymore.
- If you love someone, let them know.
- If someone hurts you, let them make amends.
- If you hurt someone, make it right.
- Give of your time to others, it makes you feel good.
I just saw a movie that said if you want something in this life, all it takes is 20 seconds of courage to reach for it. Let’s be courageous this year and reach for it!
Happy New Year.
Love,
Yolanda
Love it Yolanda....so awesome! Blessings, Tammy
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