Sunday, January 1, 2012

new year's goals


I don't like New Year's resolutions because I believe in making myself change more often than once a year.  Still, I like setting goals regularly, and the new year seems like a good time for it.

This year, I want to love as if I have always been loved in return, try new things (especially things that scare me a little), and throw myself deeply into life.  More specifically, I have three goals:

I read through The Simple Way's list of 50 Ways to Become the Answer to Our Prayers again, and it was challenging and inspiring and terrifying, as always.  This year I want to pick at least ten of those ideas and follow them.
Along the same lines, the idea of sponsoring a child keeps coming back to me.  I'm torn between financial responsibility (I hate it, but it's still so compelling sometimes) and the commitment to real change.  C.S. Lewis's words from years ago keep coming to mind again and again:  "You must give more than you can afford to spare."

I want to make at least three new friends who are a different ethnicity than I am.  To some of you this may be so natural it doesn't have to be a goal -- but although I do this sometimes, I want to be much better at interacting with people who come from a different background or culture than I do.

And I want to keep a prayer journal.  I just like the idea of being more intentional about talking to God, and for me writing is always a way of solidifying things.  For example, I'm writing this blog post.  :)

What are you going to do this year?