Thursday, December 29, 2005

The Annual New Years Resolution Game Begins

We've all done it. I've done it more than I would like to admit. But we've all to some degree or another made those "new years resolutions" that we aborted sometime in February (maybe earlier, maybe later). Thinking back, I think my most common "resolution" has been to get back into the gym, exercise and lose some weight. All of which has been an up and down, off and on endeavor throughout the years. I'm not sure about the value of making new years resolutions. Most of them go by the wayside and for the others, circumstances change, life ebbs and flows and makes them irrelevant. So I guess a person just needs to live for each day. Live as if today was your last day. Makes sense. Easier some days than others for sure. With that said, it just seems like I'm supposed to make some resolutions. So, I've thought about it for the past few weeks and here they are.

One, I would like to improve on and make my relationship with God better and closer. That comes by practicing spiritual disciplines such as bible reading, daily prayer, solitude, fasting, fellowship, etc. I think a lot of things/issues in life become much clearer and easier to deal with when your relationship with God is somewhat dialed in.

Secondly, I want to drastically improve on or kick up a notch or two my role as the spiritual leader in my family. Praying together as a family has enormous benefits (sadly to say, I'm a big failure here). Putting myself on the back burner, spending more time with the kids training them up in the ways of the Lord and nurturing them to maturity is very important and I feel will be the biggest benchmark to my legacy.

Thirdly, to stay the course and keep plugging away at law school. It's almost routine now, but everyday I want to quit. Work, family and school, it's a pretty daunting task, but one that God will enable me to finish and do well at.

Fourthly, exercise and lose some poundage! Heard that one before? This one is tough for me. I spent a good 20-25 years of my life in a gym hurling weights around, playing college football at Nebraska and later as an amatuer bodybuilder. I'm pretty much done with the gym thing. So I need to find something to keep me active and to help me stay in shape. Something a little more strenuous than mowing the lawn once a week is OK by me.

So there it is. The key to making and keeping resolutions I've come to learn is, turning these things over to God (He might delete one or two of them and add others) and live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Each day is new (duh) and each day brings it's own issues, problems, ups and downs. Being in tune with God in such a way that whatever happens moment by moment each day, you can face each day and every situation with confidence and boldness.

As for this blog, who knows what will happen. The only thing it does for now is suck up my time from profitable endeavors like work and studying. Nobody really reads it, except you Mom...thanks! (and a few others...thanks to you too!). I've come so close to totally deleting it a few times. Maybe I'll change things and go more personal, maybe more about football, law school, my kids or my spiritual life and what I'm learning. We'll see.

At any rate, Happy New Year to you and may 2006 be the best year ever for you!

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