2018 Resolutions

“I think New Year’s resolutions are silly,” states my husband, matter-of-factly.

 Why? 

”I just do.” 

Giant eye roll commences, followed by the infamous Emma Leigh side-eye. 

Millions of people across the nation will make their resolutions for this upcoming 2018. Thousands of “new year, new me”  social media posts will be made at the gym on New Year’s Day.

Why do New Year’s resolutions seem impossible to stick to? 

What should we be doing differently to attain and keep to these resolutions? 

If you want to hear about my goals and ideas for achieving them, keep reading. If not, feel free to click over to YouTube and watch adorable puppy videos. That’s perfectly acceptable too.

I’m the girl who swears she’ll do the dishes tonight before bed, only to find an even more massive pile a week later. This advice is coming from probably the only mom-to-be on planet Earth who had virtually no nesting instinct before the baby came.

And my two month-old daughter’s nursery still isn’t finished.

But hey, that’s life; you set out to do things that may not get done, plan for things that never happen, and then pick yourself up later on and get back to it. 

I believe that the main reason why many people give up their New Year’s resolutions so quickly is because we like the idea of improving ourselves, but the thought of sticking to something new or difficult for a full year is freakin  scary.

And if you are anything like me, the moment you mess up something, you quit. Because if you messed up once, you know you’re just going to mess it up again down the line, right?

So what’s the point? 

This mentality has permeated my walk with Jesus for most of my life. In fact, this school of thought is one of the enemy’s favorite ways to tear my life apart.

Looking back over 2017, I see it.

I see where I decided to quit reading the Word because I wasn’t being consistent enough. I see where I quit praying because it was too hard. I can see where I gave in to my depression because it was an easy escape. I also see where I gave up on my marriage because being a mom was hard enough. 

It’s not working, so what’s the point?   

We are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). And while we try our very best, we are always fallen. We will always sin. (Gee, thanks Adam and Eve.) 

And that’s okay, until we let it define who we are. 

The moment we let our sinful nature define who we are instead of being children of the Lord Jesus, that is when the enemy wins. Which is why we have to fight.  

1. Discover and/or remember whose you are. 

I want 2018 to be the year I decide to finally put on my armor of God, wield my sword of the Spirit, and kick Satan’s butt. And the tangible, measurable way I intend to do that is read a chapter a day of the Bible. It doesn’t matter which chapter. I don’t even care if it’s the same chapter every day, but I cannot continue to come to the battle of daily life without my greatest weapon. 

2. Be confident in who you are. 

I am a daughter of the King, child of the Lord God, beloved, chosen, and anointed for His Kingdom work. I was given the gifts of marriage and motherhood; I devote 2018 to becoming my best self. Running three times a week minimum, eating a well balanced diet, and reading one life-giving book a month are ways I can continue to be the best me I can be. 

3. Learn something new. 

I am returning to school in 2018. I will be attending the Online School for Adult Undergrad at Indiana Wesleyan University to finish my Biblical Studies degree that I started in 2014. While I most likely will not be graduating until 2020, the goal is to gain more knowledge that will improve my role in our church plant ministry. 

4. Be flexible and spontaneous. 

I am your typical first-born type A personality. I love rules, order, structure, guidelines, and clarity. I enjoy routines and schedules, to-do lists and written goals. Planners and agendas are my best friends. However, since having a baby, things have had to change a little. I’ve been late to appointments and work more times in the last two months than I have ever been in my whole life. And I’m learning to be okay with that. Because enjoying those extra five minutes of nursing, or taking a moment to appreciate her little person giggles and toothless grins are absolutely priceless. Also, if Michael and I want to get our time, we have to be very flexible, not to mention creative, nowadays. 

5. Shoot for the stars and dream big. 

I have huge dreams for 2018. We will launch our church this year, if it is in God’s timing. This is huge. Our finances are up in the air at the moment. Ministry is hard. And my biggest, most ambitious goal for 2018 is to become a stay at home mom. Monetize my blog, start selling crafts on Etsy, whatever it takes.

Because making more time for my husband, being home with Izabella and focusing on my household would be a dream come true.  

So here’s where things get interesting:

1. I challenge you to do with me. 

2. I ask you to keep me accountable.

3. I need your prayer.

4.  Please remind and encourage me.

5. Help promote me!

I think the solution to broken resolutions is community. 

I will also be reevaluating my goals each month, looking at which ones come easier and which are more difficult; then I can call you to help me once more in the areas I most need it. 

So give yourself a break. If you eat a cookie, skip the workout, and find yourself down and out by February, call a friend, pick yourself up, and fight for it. 

Comment below: what are your 2018 resolutions? 

2018–the year of firsts for our precious Izzy B.