Here We Go Again!

Here we go again!  No!  I’m not meaning to sound skeptical as we head into a new year.  However, as I’ve spent the past couple days thinking about 2011 and praying about 2012, there is one thought that has really hit me between the eyes.

Yes, I’ve been thinking about the things I’ve done right this year, the areas I’ve grown and the lessons I’ve learned.  I’ve also been thinking about the things that didn’t go as planned, the areas where I continue to struggle, and the things that I handled wrongly.  So what makes me think that 2012 will be any different.  At the end of 2012, will I look back and see that I still need to lose 20 lbs., I still need to be more faithful in my Christian walk, and that those weak areas of my character are just as weak as ever.

If so, then……then, I find myself saying unenthusiastically……Here We Go Again!

I once heard it said that if we don’t change directions….we will end up where we are headed.  Another way of saying that same thing might be…..If I keep doing the same thing, I can expect the same results.  I have to be honest…there are some areas that I am NOT getting the results that I believe I should be getting…..so perhaps, I need to approach some things differently.

So, I’ve been thinking about “going again” but with more focus, more of a plan, and definitely more desire towards those areas that I would like to see change in my own life.  This is going to require some self-discipline as well.  I’ve tried not to think about those around me….the things I’d like to change about my friends, my family, my co-workers….but instead, focus on the things that need to change within me.

I know….you would think if I wrote a book on “the end in mind” that I might have been a bit more successful in this area this past year.  Believe me, I’ve experienced some real internal growth this past year. Growth in the areas of contentment and trust.  However, there have been times I’ve also allowed myself to be filled with self-doubt, God-doubt, worry, self-protection, and other negative areas of focus that have kept me from becoming more Christ-like and from being and accomplishing those things that God would have for me!

So….as we conclude 2011…..would you join me in defining those areas in your life that perhaps were areas of concern last year at this same time……and would you spend some time thinking about new ways to approach these areas.  We are going to need an approach that includes more focus, more planning and more God-given desire through prayer and study.  If we can successfully work on ourselves……we can begin 2012 with an ENTHUSIASTIC….”HERE WE GO AGAIN!”

Faith and Courage,

Lori