Happy New Year! Goodbye to the difficult but eye opening year that was 2015. Actually, it has been a difficult 2 and a half years for me. Goodbye. Good riddance.
Hello 2016 and all the beautiful possibilities ahead. I am entering this new year with a fresh perspective and a realistic expectation based on lessons learned over the past 2 and a half crummy years.
Here is my plan for 2016. I plan to THRIVE. Here is how I plan to go about it.
T - Thankfulness
H - Humilty
R - Reverence
I - Innovation
V - Vitality
E - Emotional Health
Here is the plan:
THANKFULNESS. I want to daily remember all of the blessings in my life. I am so very thankful for fellowship with God. I treasure this constant conversation that we have together throughout each day. In the worst situation I still feel His presence and grace. He does not leave me, He does not betray. I am also thankful for Tom. He is so constant and true. Our love is real and has survived 37 and a half years. He has seen me at my best and my worst and still loves me. And I'm thankful for our kid! Jordan is a good person. What a blessing that is in my life. There is so much more for which to be thankful. On this very first day of the year- these things are a start. I hope to fill 2016 with gratitude. What are you thankful for today?
HUMILITY. I think humility comes when you realize what you truly deserve and compare that to what you have been given. (However, Humility is not being a doormat. I've misinterpreted that in the recent past.) Humility is recognizing and believing and acknowledging that God is God and I am not. I humbly acknowledge that His plans are better than my own. If I Humble myself before the Lord, He will lift me up. I'll let Him do the lifting. I will do the trusting. I'm glad He is God and I'm not.
REVERENCE. This is not a word that is used much anymore. But this is what I feel when I see the ocean. I feel it when I sit on a beach and watch the huge body of water move. I see the waves hit the shore and it is as if they know exactly where to stop. I don't understand it. When I see a beautiful sunset that reminds me of an impressionist painting in the sky I feel a deep reverence for the Creator. This is all God's hand and I am in awe. He created all of the many different people on this planet and all the varied creatures on land and sea. It is amazing. I think of His "bigness" and his imagination and I'm left with no words. I want to sit and ponder Him. I am completely awe inspired by His creativity, His love, His majesty, His story and His plan. I want to honor Him and revere Him in those moments. I want to worship Him. I look forward to listening to Him, reading His word, knowing Him more and loving Him more this year - all with a sense of reverence.
The first 3 words of my THRIVE plan have to do with God. The next three have to do with how He might choose to use me this year.
INNOVATION. I am certain that I was created to be a creative person. I plan to use my God given abilities to be innovative this year. I'm really excited about the possibilities ahead! And I have a lot of ideas! I am challenging myself to create something every day!
VITALITY. For me this word refers to my physical well being and health. All the typical New Year's resolutions fall under this category: Eat better, eat less, move more (exercise), get enough sleep, drink lots of water. I'm ready to do this thang in 2016! I'm determined to be a better me by 2017! If we try this day by day, little by little - we'll get there.
EMOTIONAL WELL BEING. I have allowed others to rob me of my joy. Have you ever done that? I don't blame them anymore however. It was my decision to let them rob me. No more! The Bible says that the "joy of the Lord is our strength." I claim that for me in 2016 and for you too. I'm going to take care of my emotional health. I hope you will take care of yours as well.
I'm going to dedicate my blogs this year to this THRIVE plan. It will be an interesting journey. I'd love to invite you to THRIVE with me! Let's see what 2016 has to offer, friends.
Let's THRIVE!
Pam
