Now

Happy New Year! 

After a quiet eve of sipping our favorite Wycliff champagne and catching up on shows, we began 2017 with some Arsenal soccer as we finished un-decorating the house. 

Recently I’ve been listening to some encouraging Beth Moore podcasts on my Living Proof Live app and one of them struck a nerve; “The Quitter’s Guide to a Comeback.” If you’ve been following my blog over the last six years, you might have noticed I pretty much stopped blogging. God spoke to my heart. Quitter? Pretty much. Reasons? All pretty lame. 

(See Jane attempt a writing comeback!)

As many people do, I’ve been contemplating the last year and looking forward; deciding if I’ll make a list of resolutions for 2017, choose a “word of the year” which I’ve done in the past, or borrow my daughter’s idea to write down goals of more and less.

As a teen and college student, I remember lists of goals and journaling lots of resolutions and BIG feelings in my diaries. As a young wife and mama, I don’t think I had time to think of anything but feeding and corralling babies. Over the past several years I jumped on the “My One Word” bandwagon and picked a meaningful word that I could constantly meditate on. I often had charms or bracelets made so my word was a constant visible reminder. (Unlike some of my children, no tattoos for me...)

Some of my words of past years were; faith, joy, believe, trust and free. They all were chosen with prayer and due to life circumstances and they still all apply to my daily life. Yep, still learning.

The word that keeps coming to mind lately is NOW. 
I tend to be more of a planner (lists galore!) than a doer... I also procrastinate... and sleep too much... 

Proverbs 6:4-11

“4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. 6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

I’ve been a bit lazy and the more I sleep, or sit and make lists, the less gets accomplished. 

NOW is a good time to: show love, serve others, exercise, do my bible study, eat healthy, clean our bathrooms, put away the laundry, call my Mom, keep my kitchen sink empty (any Flylady fans?), simplify, write, walk the dog, etc., etc., etc.

Here are some baby steps I’ve started taking on my quest for NOW: 
I’ve begun setting my alarm much earlier and my body is actually waking up sometimes before it rings! My husband and I are holding each other accountable to eating WAY less carbs and sugar and I’m admitting that wine needs to be more of a weekend treat than a nightly routine. I'm keeping my water bottle by my side. I’ve returned to the YMCA and I’m forcing myself to cleanse my face before I turn in. I also signed up for the Rachel Hollis 31 day challenge: New Year, New Do You! Check out The Chic for lots of good, healthy ideas. #ChicNYDY

Today I'm snuggled on the couch with tea, fighting off a sore throat and thankful that one of my Charlie Barnes coworkers might cover my shift this afternoon. But right now it’s time to drink more water and go clean up the unexpected “accident” that my feisty kitten had on Sydney the dog’s bed which I threw out the back door. Oh Thor...we thought you'd stopped that nasty habit!

May all of us keep the joy of Christmas in our hearts all year and depend on Jesus to help us accomplish the plans He has for us.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

What are your plans to start off your New Year?

In His Grip,

xo Jane