Imagine sitting in a chair and falling asleep. Not too unusual of a thought, huh? Now imagine waking up. The first thing you see is dark. You try to move, but you are unable. You are strapped down. You cry out for help. You can hear voices calling out to you, but you see no one. You feel helpless and alone. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. Nothing.
This is an experience my daughter had when we were on our trip to and from Texas. We drove through the night, making it easier on all of us. She could sleep the whole trip so we could drive straight through with minimal stops.
She was in her car seat and is still rear facing due to her size. She had fallen asleep shortly into our journey. Somewhere around midnight, one o'clock in the morning, she awoke. Usually when she wakes up at home, she gets out of her bed and comes to bed with us. She can get up and move if need be. But this instance, she was on familiar turf. She was in a moving car where she could not get out. She was stuck.
She cried and cried. We kept talking to her, letting her know we were there for her. We eventually had to pull over and the Hubs got in the back while I drove. He put his hand on her. Within a few minutes, she was calm. The crying had stopped. He went to move his hand and she grabbed his arm and put his hand on her cheek. She would not let him let go of her.
Later we switched spots and he took over driving. I put my hand on her. This time, she took her legs and wrapped them around my arm. She was going to make sure I did not leave her.
How many times have you been in a situation like that? You feel completely stuck in a dark world? You can't help yourself. You feel scared. You feel helpless. You feel alone. There is nothing you can do. And guess what? There is nothing you can do...but pray. Cry out to God like little bit cried out to us. Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him what you are going through. And once you feel His presence, don't let go of Him. Hold on tight.
Once we realize He has a hold of us, we can know that He is in control. We know we are not alone. We are no longer helpless. We have no reason to be scared anymore. God is in control and He has a hold on us. We just need to keep holding onto Him. This is possible only By God's Amazing Grace.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
New Year, New Broken Promises
The new year has rolled in and old has, well, gone down in history as another year. 2013 is over, 2014 has just begun. The ball has fallen, streamers have...streamed, kisses have been shared, and now people spend half of the first day of the new year sleeping, trying to catch up on the lost hours of sleep from New Year's Eve. Resolutions have been made. Promises spoken. A clean slate. A fresh start. A brand spanking new year.
Yet I participated in none of the above. Why? Partly because I am kinda old now. I can't handle staying up until the crack of dawn any more. Okay, so I am only 31. But still. My body and mind can't handle ringing in the new year like it did back in the day. Also because, as the Hubs would say, I am a work-a-holic. If I sleep the day away because I stayed up the night before, then I will accomplish nothing. And boy did I accomplish something. Our place is practically spotless and most of my school work is complete. Another reason is because I enjoy kissing the Hubs when I am not a zombie. I like being warm blooded when I share something of that nature with him. So my kisses to and from him were when we were bright eyed and bushy tailed. And the last thing, I don't make resolutions. Anymore.
Resolutions are promises you make to yourself so that you can beat yourself up at the end of a few days of not keeping them. Resolutions are set up to make us failures. I don't know about you, but I don't want to start my year off as a failure. Statistically speaking, only 8% of the 39% of people that make resolutions, keep them. 8%. I am a math teacher and numbers make sense to me so here goes. There are approximately 314 million people in the US. Of those, approximately 122 million make a resolution. And of those, 1 million people keep them. I guess that is not too bad. But that means that there are 22 million people that are unsuccessful with their resolutions, sometimes as quickly as the first month.
But that is not why I don't make a resolution.
The ten most popular resolutions:
1. Lose weight. (Yes, I could lose some weight.)
2. Get organized. (Oh, boy could I ever.)
3. Spend less, save more. (Yep, that would be me.)
4. Enjoy life to the fullest. (Hmm. I like my life. I enjoy it.)
5. Stay fit and healthy. (That would be me.)
6. Learn something exciting. (I am a teacher. Learning is very important to me.)
7. Quit smoking. (Well, I would have to start to quit. So not going to happen.)
8. Help others in their dreams. (Again, I teach.)
9. Fall in love. (Check!)
10. Spend more time with family. (Yep. Could do some of that.)
So of the ten most popular resolutions, I could make seven of them. So it is not that I don't have resolutions to be made. Cause I definitely have some that could. It has nothing to do with that.
So why don't I make resolutions? A couple different reasons.
Numero uno. Why do I have to wait until the new year to start making a difference? I plan on losing weight and staying fit and healthy. When I say I plan, I've planned and have already started almost a month ago. I don't want to wait until the new year begins to start on something that is important, like my health. A couple years ago I decided I needed to change. I was not happy with the way I looked or felt. I knew I needed to do something about it. So I began working out and changing my diet that very same day. It just so happened to be the same week as the new year. Just a coincidence. Nothing more. And I accomplished my goal. But it was not a resolution.
Nummer zwei. If statistics are against me, why do something that will set me up for failure. The moment I mess up, I'm a failure. The moment I make a mistake, I couldn't handle it. I'm weak. But I'm not. I am human. Nothing more. As a human, my promises are fairly empty and meaningless. There is only One who has never broken a promise and that is Jesus Himself. All the promises He made have been kept or will be fulfilled in His time. I don't need to make another broken promise to myself and set myself up for failure.
Numero trois. I don't make resolutions because I make daily goals. Everyday when I wake up, I decide how I want my life to be different than the day before. I think about what can I do differently so that I am a better person than I was yesterday. What actions can I take so that my walk with God is closer? How can I let God use me? How can I let His light shine in me so that others see Him? That is not a New Year's Resolution. That is something I strive for every day, not just at the beginning of the year. I want each day to be new, not just the year. My goal is not to be a better person by the end of the year, but by the end of the day.
And it has to be a daily goal. But get this. If I mess up today, I can start over tomorrow. I don't have to wait until next year. My clean slate starts the moment I wake up. Not when the ball drops.
So whatever resolutions you have made for this new year, whether it be to lose weight, quit a habit, life changes, etc., make a daily goal. Wake up each morning with a way to be successful at it THAT day. And strive for better than yesterday. If you make a mistake. You can start over right then. Don't wait until next year. And most importantly, whatever changes you are striving for, give them to God. He is the only One that help you be successful. And He can make them easier. Give it to God. He's got this.
What will be your goal for today? You will succeed only By God's Amazing Grace.
Yet I participated in none of the above. Why? Partly because I am kinda old now. I can't handle staying up until the crack of dawn any more. Okay, so I am only 31. But still. My body and mind can't handle ringing in the new year like it did back in the day. Also because, as the Hubs would say, I am a work-a-holic. If I sleep the day away because I stayed up the night before, then I will accomplish nothing. And boy did I accomplish something. Our place is practically spotless and most of my school work is complete. Another reason is because I enjoy kissing the Hubs when I am not a zombie. I like being warm blooded when I share something of that nature with him. So my kisses to and from him were when we were bright eyed and bushy tailed. And the last thing, I don't make resolutions. Anymore.
Resolutions are promises you make to yourself so that you can beat yourself up at the end of a few days of not keeping them. Resolutions are set up to make us failures. I don't know about you, but I don't want to start my year off as a failure. Statistically speaking, only 8% of the 39% of people that make resolutions, keep them. 8%. I am a math teacher and numbers make sense to me so here goes. There are approximately 314 million people in the US. Of those, approximately 122 million make a resolution. And of those, 1 million people keep them. I guess that is not too bad. But that means that there are 22 million people that are unsuccessful with their resolutions, sometimes as quickly as the first month.
But that is not why I don't make a resolution.
The ten most popular resolutions:
1. Lose weight. (Yes, I could lose some weight.)
2. Get organized. (Oh, boy could I ever.)
3. Spend less, save more. (Yep, that would be me.)
4. Enjoy life to the fullest. (Hmm. I like my life. I enjoy it.)
5. Stay fit and healthy. (That would be me.)
6. Learn something exciting. (I am a teacher. Learning is very important to me.)
7. Quit smoking. (Well, I would have to start to quit. So not going to happen.)
8. Help others in their dreams. (Again, I teach.)
9. Fall in love. (Check!)
10. Spend more time with family. (Yep. Could do some of that.)
So of the ten most popular resolutions, I could make seven of them. So it is not that I don't have resolutions to be made. Cause I definitely have some that could. It has nothing to do with that.
So why don't I make resolutions? A couple different reasons.
Numero uno. Why do I have to wait until the new year to start making a difference? I plan on losing weight and staying fit and healthy. When I say I plan, I've planned and have already started almost a month ago. I don't want to wait until the new year begins to start on something that is important, like my health. A couple years ago I decided I needed to change. I was not happy with the way I looked or felt. I knew I needed to do something about it. So I began working out and changing my diet that very same day. It just so happened to be the same week as the new year. Just a coincidence. Nothing more. And I accomplished my goal. But it was not a resolution.
Nummer zwei. If statistics are against me, why do something that will set me up for failure. The moment I mess up, I'm a failure. The moment I make a mistake, I couldn't handle it. I'm weak. But I'm not. I am human. Nothing more. As a human, my promises are fairly empty and meaningless. There is only One who has never broken a promise and that is Jesus Himself. All the promises He made have been kept or will be fulfilled in His time. I don't need to make another broken promise to myself and set myself up for failure.
Numero trois. I don't make resolutions because I make daily goals. Everyday when I wake up, I decide how I want my life to be different than the day before. I think about what can I do differently so that I am a better person than I was yesterday. What actions can I take so that my walk with God is closer? How can I let God use me? How can I let His light shine in me so that others see Him? That is not a New Year's Resolution. That is something I strive for every day, not just at the beginning of the year. I want each day to be new, not just the year. My goal is not to be a better person by the end of the year, but by the end of the day.
And it has to be a daily goal. But get this. If I mess up today, I can start over tomorrow. I don't have to wait until next year. My clean slate starts the moment I wake up. Not when the ball drops.
So whatever resolutions you have made for this new year, whether it be to lose weight, quit a habit, life changes, etc., make a daily goal. Wake up each morning with a way to be successful at it THAT day. And strive for better than yesterday. If you make a mistake. You can start over right then. Don't wait until next year. And most importantly, whatever changes you are striving for, give them to God. He is the only One that help you be successful. And He can make them easier. Give it to God. He's got this.
What will be your goal for today? You will succeed only By God's Amazing Grace.
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