Many of you can relate to the title of this blog. I start at the beginning of each year by not setting resolutions, but by looking at the things I want to do to be a better person. I always have God as number one on my priority list and He is part of every improvement I hope to make.
During the year, life brings changes and new hopes for doing better. This is like a train in perhaps a zoo that transports people around the park and then drops them off. New people get on and the ride commences. So goes my life intentions. Changing.
I’m a visual learner. As such, I prefer to keep a journal/calendar which shows daily commitments and “stuff” I want to remember. I decorate it with pretty stickers because it appeals to me and helps me to stay involved…and thus, up to date with day-to-day happenings. I enjoy decorating each month, and each week, and adding the sermon notes taken in church. The journal/calendar I use is a Christian Planner. Each week is a new beginning, a clean slate, a place to do better.
BUT, I still fail in checking off the daily items meant to create good habits. Sigh. Sometimes I forget to add the names of people I am praying for. Many times, I ignore the “exercise” prompt. I have really good intentions, yet over and over again, I let them die.
Today I looked back at my vision board for 2022. The verse I chose is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (CSB) Below that I wrote “Prayer is communicating with God.” Psalm 5:1-2, Psalm 138:3, Colossians 4:2, and Hebrews 4:14-16.
The current sermon series at the church I attend is focusing on prayer like how to pray and what is prayer? Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence. I do believe in God. Is this a reminder to me on what my good intentions were at the beginning of the year? Stickers I placed on my vision board were: Grow in His Grace; Redeemed; Great is Thy Faithfulness; Take Refuge Under His Wings; The Lord is My Shepherd; Psalm 57:1; Full Faith, Trust, and Prayer. I do pray every day, mostly by talking to God. I’m constantly asking Him for help with every little thing in my day and giving thanks when He always responds. I sing to Him. But I don’t always find a quiet time to sit in His presence and pray.
My goals for 2022 were to complete an autobiography for my family as a Christmas gift which is completed. To publish a new fiction book before the last quarter which is completed. Another goal was to lose weight with a goal weight listed. I’m ten pounds away from that. Another was to do Bible verse mapping. I think I completed two verses. As I look back, I see where my priorities seemed to be, and it wasn’t on prayer or things I wanted to do to spend more time with God. Yes, my fiction books are written with a goal to spread the goodness of God, but I question if this is a reflection of prayer in my life. Yes, I have lost half of the weight I wanted to, but if I had made prayer a part of my food choices, perhaps I would be reaching that goal.
Good intentions. Don’t we all have them? How do we go about keeping them…not letting them die? I don’t know about you, but I know I am going to do a lot of praying about where I might have fallen short and definitely one of my new intentions will be to look back at the vision board in my journal at the beginning of every month throughout the year. Maybe I’ll post my verse for the year in various places throughout my home. I will pray about it.
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 