I love the beginning of the New Year. To me it's a fresh start, a new beginning, a Do-over. We get lots of do-overs in this life but none seems so profound as a New Year. Did you make resolutions? Maybe it was to lose weight or at least eat more healthy. That is great! Maybe your resolution was to exercise. Fantastic! Did you get a pedometer? If not, maybe it's time to use that gift card and get one. You can get them for only a few dollars since all you need is counting steps and converting that to miles. Maybe it was to read your Bible. That is a great goal and a higher calling for sure. Do you have a Bible on your iPhone or iPad that you can get to every day? Maybe your resolution was to not make any resolutions at all because you see no benefit in them. Well then, you did make a resolution (sort of) and you did meet it already (good for you).
My New Year resolution was to read my Bible every day. I start off strong and then somehow I get bogged down once I get to all those Old Testaments names and who begat who and I give up. I know that counting all those Israelites are important but those names! So this year I am trying something new. I have on my iPad "You Verson" Holy Bible. What I like about it that it reads the Bible to me so when I get to all those names, I don't have to struggle trying to figure out how to pronounce those name. I can just sit back and listen to them. I am hoping that this will help me keep going. The App is free and it has many translation.
I also made another resolution, To Be Grateful Every Day. It's easy to be grateful if you get a raise, or if someone praises you but what about being grateful for being sick, or having a flat tire? Not so easy is it. Yet this year, I am going to resolve to be grateful for something every day. We sing a song at church sometimes "Count your Blessing". That is what I want to do. I will not list them here but I may be blogging about some of them.
One thing I am grateful for today is that so far we have had no snow since Halloween. Now in the northern part of the state we got some snow but it is long gone. However in my back yard, it's brown ground and it's not even frozen solid yet! I know that the snow will find me eventually and that I will have to drive in it at some point, but not yet...so I am grateful for no snow.
Are you doing anything different this year?
I agree that is is easy to be grateful for the hard things, but often we benefit the most from those very trials. I am grateful that my old car blew a radiator hose--in a mechanics driveway. Have a good day.
ReplyDeleteI like your resolutions: reading/listening to the Bible everyday - and being grateful for something every day. If everyone did just those two things think how much better this world could be! Happy 2012!
ReplyDeleteI need to check out that app - sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteLiving with an attitude of gratitude is on my list of goals (aka resolutions) ... like you said, it's easy enough to do when things are going well ... but nothing is impossible with God. ;-)
That bible app sounds wonderful! Sounds like the perfect way to get through the bible.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of being grateful for something every day. I need to do more of that!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great app with the Bible! I know it is hard to get through all those begats and names (I've been known to skim through them myself at times). I like your intent to read the Bible every day; I do believe spending time in God's word is the best way to start the day or end the day or whenever you read it throughout the day! Gratitude is great too; keeping track of our blessings and our thankfulness and gratitude is a good way to look back and see how much we have to be thankful for! Wishin you all a great new year!
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