Do you ever wish to find more than just bills in your mailbox? For many of us, “the great bill pile” stacks up on our kitchen tables while we sit by hoping “the mail fairy” shows up and whisks it all away. Frankly, I wish the mail fairy would swing by my mailbox before I get there so I would never even have to see those reminders of money due and resources spent. This kind of wishing isn’t exclusive to bills or adults. My teenagers wish little fairies would magically do their chores. If only there were fairies to clean the house, mow the lawn, mop the floors, and clean up the dog poop!
Playing aside, chores instill discipline and the bills are good for at least one thing—they remind me how quickly the months pass along. Recently, I wrote “January” as the date, but it is already the end of February. I asked myself, Where did January go? And then, Where did the last year go? Perhaps some of the commitments I suggested at the end of last year have been forgotten as easily as the date has for many of us. With that in mind, I want to encourage you again to commit to character growth rather than infamous New Year’s resolutions.
Candidly, even I didn’t remember to follow all of the suggestions I made! So as a reminder to us all, I ask you once again to join me in committing to choosing:
- An ATTITUDE of praise (Psalm 9:1–2; 34:1).
- A BELIEF in God and His promises (John 6:40; Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 119:50).
- A COMMITMENT to accept life as it is (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 5:18).
- A DEPENDENCE on Christ in all things (John 14:1; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Perhaps attending to these four areas felt impossible as 2009 came to a close. Or maybe for you, 2010 started off with a bang and is still going strong. But, as we turn the pages of our calendars, we can all count on challenges to arrive that will reveal our character. Challenges are not meant to shame us but to give us opportunities to seek God’s transformation of our hearts. Adversities show us our real attitudes, our true beliefs, our firm commitments, and our great need to depend on Christ’s care. In the midst of difficult times, having an attitude of praise, believing in God and His promises, committing to accept life as it is, and depending on Christ in all things will help you (and me) gain a clearer perspective and challenge each of us to live by faith.
Walk with me through March, and let us be a community where together we find strength on the journey of life. This month the topics will be those four areas of choice: attitude, belief, commitment, and dependence. Before you read each post this month, ask yourself the following questions as they relate to the post at hand:
- In what ways do I struggle with ________?
- In the past, what has affected my ability to _________?
- Is this an area I desire to change and why?
I’m looking forward to the journey with you!