2013 is here

New Year's Resolutions for 2013
2013 is here and I'm looking foward to seeing what this year has in store for me. Here are some of my resolutions for the new year.

1) Spend More time in prayer
2) Spend more time reading the bible
3) Worry less trust God more
4) Finish writing the first draft of my novel this year (or at least come close to it)
5) Let go of any friendships that are toxic in my life
6) Not hold any grudges with anyone
7) Spend less time trying to please everyone and more time trying to please God.
8)Spend less time complaining and more time thanking God for everything he has blessed me with
9) Become a more positive person
10) Waste less time and be more productive
11) Be more assertive
And the last one:
12) to strive my best to do these resolutions. To remember that changes take time. To ask God to constantly halp me with these. To keep trying even if I fail,
What are some of yoru resolutions for the new year? Share it in the comments

Stop Comparing

I was reading The Writer’s Devotional by Amy Peters when I came across an interesting quote. Mikhail Baryshnikov, a Russian dancer said “I do not dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” Baryshnikov meant this in terms of dancing. Peters intended the quote in terms of writing, but I think that this quote can be applied in terms of Christianity as well.

How many times do we not achieve the greatness that God has intended for us because we are too busy trying to dance like someone, trying to write like someone else, or even trying to believe like someone else? We cannot fully do what God is calling us to do, if we are trying to do it the way someone else does. 1 Corinthians 12 clearly paints a picture of this. This passage explains that each body part, such as the hand, foot, and eye, has a different function, but each part is just as important. The same is true for us. We were each designed differently to fulfill a specific purpose that only we can fill. My purpose is not the same as your purpose, but our purposes are equally important in God’s eyes. If we waste our time trying to compare ourselves to others we will not be able to fulfill what God is calling us to do.

“I do not dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” Mikhail Baryshnikov. I encourage you to take in the words of this quote. Do not try to dance better than someone else. Do not try to be better than someone else. Only live up to the standards that God has set for your own life.

Jesus intercedes for us

Hebrews 7:25

On facebook I found a quote that spoke volumes. “If you could hear Jesus praying for you in the room next door you would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference he is praying for you.”

This got me thinking…. How much time do I waste worrying about things I do not need to be worried about? To think that Jesus loves me, so much he is praying for all of my needs. He is praying for all of your needs as well. When I think of Jesus’s love for me and how he is praying for me, I know that there is nothing that I need to fear and that there is nothing for you to fear. 

Next time you are worried or afraid. Take a moment and imagine Jesus praying for you. Let this truth sink in, until you know beyond a doubt that you have nothing to fear.

Family Traditions

Family traditions are a great way to get into the holiday spirit!

My husband and I have a couple of holiday traditions that we started while we were dating. Now that it is our first Christmas together as a married couple, we hope to continue these traditions. When we have children, we hope that we can take part in these traditions as a family, and maybe add a few more traditions.

One of the things my husband and I do is bake Christmas cookies and candy. I don’t know about you, but holiday cookies and candies always put me in the mood for the holiday.

The other tradition is to go to the Festival of the Lights in Natchitoches, Louisiana. We always have so much fun! The river bank is decorated with Christmas Lights. The experience is complete with quaint shops, fireworks, Christmas music, and horse drawn carriage rides. If you are in the Louisiana area and haven’t gone I recommend it.

What are some of the holiday traditions that you and your family look forward to?

God's Beauty

God’s beauty can be found everywhere. You can find it in a smile, a sunset, an abandoned house, a misty fog, a stormy rainfall, or a tiny leaflet. Life often becomes hectic and fast paced. It becomes a hurried race to a finish line not worth running towards, because we do not take a moment to enjoy. We do not take a moment to notice the intricate delicacies that God has put into our path. Where do you find your intricate delicacies? I find mine in a butterfly freely floating ahead. I find it in the rustic fall. I find it in the galloping horses that are next door to my house. Take a moment. Pause. Breathe in the beauty God has put into your path.

Breath of God

The rustling of fall

Beacons me

Much like your spirit

Inviting me to enter in

 

Fragments of the light glisten

Onto the leaves

Transferring its warmth

Onto the lake

 

You reveal your beauty to me

In this place

With one breath

I breathe you in

 

The wind pushes the leaves

I watch

As they glide steadily

Into the lake

 

Nature coos

Calling my heart to listen

With each beat

It listens

Feeling your spirit

Touch  my skin

I am thankful...

With Thanksgiving being around the corner, I decided to make a list of the things I am thankful for. I try to do this every day, because it helps me to keep things in prespective. It is a constant reminder of God’s love for me and helps me to be appreciative for all of the blessings in my life. I suggest you make a list of your own.

I am thankful for…

1)My husband. He is a wonderful and I am very greatful that God put him in my life.

2) My parents. They are always there for me, and I am very appreciative that I have them in my life.

3) My siblings. Sometimes they drive me crazy, but I couldn’t ask for a better brother or sister.

4) All of my baby cousins. Those little munchkins brighten up my day.

5) God’s constant and unfailing love

6) God’s grace

7) God’s provisions in my life. I have everything I need.

8) My friends. God has blessed me with awesome friends.

9) My in-laws. God has blessed me with awesome in-laws

10) My church. I am blessed to be under the spiritual leadership of such a great church.

11) God’s presence in my life.