To Resolute or not to Resolute?

It’s the New Year, and Google and Yahoo, Blogosphere, Twitter, Facebook, churches and bookstores, and seemingly the entire Universe is talking resolutions. 

Whether I think resolutions are a load of doo-doo or a worthy excuse to make a change, I do believe one thing: I have ownership of how I spend my days.  And so do you.

We all have choice. 

I have a choice how I invest my short time on this earth.  I have a choice who I want to be.  I have a choice to follow or take the lead.  I have a choice how fat I am, and I have a choice in what kind of mother I’m going to be.  I determine my involvement in my world.  I dictate how close I am in relationships, and I choose to either pursue things of this world or things of the world yet to come.  I decide to extend grace or harbor bitterness, and I decide to initiate or sit back and let the chips fall as they may. 

I DID make some resolutions but I’ll add this stipulation: 2011 turned out significantly different than I ever imagined.  I’m sure 2012 will be the same.  But it certainly doesn’t hurt to take some time and consider my current choices, and if there’s anything I should (or want) to alter or add or dissolve.

1.      Lose 10 lbs.  BORING.  Who doesn’t need to lose a few, right?  (And if you are one of the ones that doesn’t, YAY YOU!!  (for reals!!) I’m trying to run three times a week, with a longer run on the weekend.  I’m excited for the Mud Run in June!  On the off days I’m lifting and doing yoga or pilates at Soul At Home.   I’m missing volleyball though.  (more on that soon).

2.      Read through the Bible.  I’ve never done it.  (except for Old Testament and New Testament in college).  My new church, Mission Hope Church, is leading a charge to read through the Bible in a year, and I’m joining the challenge.  I am most excited to do this alongside the rest of the Church body and grow together in this new way.  I continue to pray that God gives me a sincere, passionate love for Scripture. 

3.      Ethnic dinner club.  This feels vain and strange, but nevertheless, it is a resolution purely for pleasure.  I love other cultures, and so I’m excited to go out to dinner once a month with a few friends and explore some authentic cuisine. 

4.      To be on the offensive socially.  I would like to try to engage people that are different than me, that we might not know as well, that might need a friend or be a new connection.  We are at a new church, a new school, and we are about to enter little league season, which is a whole social network in itself.   I confess I am not great at entertaining, but I want to be better (and grow more comfortable doing it).  I admit I do not often walk up to someone I don’t know well.  I’d like to grow more comfortable approaching new people, or people I first meet.  I’d like to let the conversation flow a bit more organically too. 

5.       Monthly date nights.  Um … yeah, that’s because Bookguy is a rockstar. 

What about you?  What are you going to work on this 2012?