Resolutionary!

Every New Year I write out a list of resolutions for the year. Throughout my life, those resolutions have been quite similar: get fit/stay fit, work hard in school and grow in my relationship with the Lord. This year I read Great Expectations and was reminded at often how unattainable or vague my resolutions are. In Great Expectations, Pip has such great expectations for his life, but in the end his life is very different from what he expected. This New Year, I challenge you as I challenge myself to set some very specific goals for yourself. Mine are specific, yet they are challenging, but not too lofty. They give me a clear picture of what I want to accomplish, and ultimately will make me a better person. So without further ado, I give you my New Year's resolutions for 2013.

• Seek out the Lord in all that I do-Not just when I'm broken/scared/unsure, but even in daily things in life such as what to say, how to act, and when to shut my mouth.
• Really seek the Lord in school-I've struggled with keeping it all to myself as I think I'm smart enough to handle it, but I'm not, I need God's help.
• Make my prayers long and pray for specific people-I've done better this year for praying for people, but I want to work on that even more in the next 12 months.
• Help others get through those years when I had a hard time-I've started discipling a sweet 11 year old girl, and I want to help her through those hard years and lead her to the cross to seek Christ in all she does.
• Foster a better relationship with Ellie-Ever since my little sister was born I have said that I will get along with her better when she's older, but this year I want to push myself to reach out to her and help her grow as a little girl.
• Run three times a week-I've pushed myself to start running and this year I want to continue that.
• Take the definition of Wunderlust to heart-Wunderlust has been widely spread on many of the blogs I follow and it means: a strong longing or impulse towards wandering and travel. This fall I might be in Scotland, or Kosovo or Denmark, or here at home, but I want to wander. To experience amazing life through just wandering; seeing the beauty and acting on it by writing or drawing or taking pictures. As Tolkien said "Not all who wander are lost" and I want to take that to heart this year. 

Happy New Year!