2009 is Just About Over...A Reflection

It seems that when we prepare to hang a new calendar (or 2) on the wall we become introspective. There is something about the dawning of a new year that makes us want to set goals and start fresh. In the spirit of the new year I have set some goals for 2010. I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions because they are so easy to discard and that isn’t good for the self-esteem issues that “experts” say I should worry about. I do like to set goals though. I have come up with 5 goals for 2010. They are in no particular order.

1. Drop 1 dress size (and maintain it)
2. Do something new at least once a week
3. Visit friends in OK and AZ
4. Read through the Bible in chronological order
5. Get a third of the way through my PhD course work

There you have it, my top 5 goals for 2010. Hopefully in 365 days I’ll be able to say that I accomplished my goals!

As I look back and reflect upon this year, it was another crazy and full year. A lot of good things happened: I graduated from seminary, started my PhD work, found a publisher for my book, joined the TRBC choir, went to a friend’s wedding, visited various family members, moved into a new apartment, worked with couples dealing with CSD, and deepened friendships. There were also some harder moments in the year: buried two friends (one killed in combat, one killed by self), was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, had ups and downs with my PTSD, and had to put a new clutch in my car. I could add to the list the # of cell phones I went through, but that just makes me want to cry! 

It is amazing to think of all that happened in just 365 days! We can all come up with long lists of what went on, from the noteworthy to the daily grind of life in the 21st C. There was: grocery shopping, doctor visits, helping friends through the good and bad times in their lives, classes, work, chores, and hopefully sharing the Gospel with others. Each day can be crazy, but the days do add up and pretty soon we have a pattern set, and the days turn into months, months into years, and years into decades, till we are sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch reflecting not just on the year, but on our entire lives and what we have to show for the time God gave us.

It is like my pastor said on Sunday, when we are eulogized the minister should be able to say that we each lived our life full of days. It should be hard for people to sum up our lives and choose what to highlight. We are working toward a goal- to bring glory to holy God and increase the kingdom. How are spending our years? Are we really living “full of days”? I know I could do more, how about you?

One of my favorite shows in college was The West Wing. In one episode Sam is talking about his process in crafting speeches for the President. “Good writers borrow material from others, great writers outright steal what they want.” In that vein I want to say, “Ask not what your God can do for you [for HE already does everything and more for us] but what you can do for holy God.” What are we planning on doing in 2010 that will outlive us? What is our legacy?

May we all have a blessed 2010!
-ME-