Taking Myself Out of the Box

February 15, 2011 by · 2 Comments

I accepted the realization the other day that I have a little rebellious streak.

(That’s why I said accepted…I’ve known it for awhile.

:))

I think

the whole idea behind that rebellion is that I don’t like to be put in a box.

I don’t mean that I think it’s wrong to have boundaries…in fact, life without boundaries isn’ t very heal

thy.

I’m referring to being put into a box based on other’s expectations…or even my own, in this case.

A few weeks ago I set a goal to write here every single day for a year.

It is: 1) going ok…I’m not running out of ideas yet; 2) providing some good reflection and processing time that I believe is necessary in transition; 3) teaching me to evaluate the tone of things that I write; 4) giving me an outlet to be myself; and 5) giving me a pl

ace to share the things I am passionate about.

Overall, it’s good…and I get to write, which

I love.

But I also unofficially (aka: in my head) set a goal to make Mondays my day of the week to blog about what God is teaching me from His Word.

And there’s nothing wrong with that…It’s a very good thing.

I love it that I’ m learning again, because truthfully, I went a through long stretch when I felt like I was living in a desert.

But then I ran into a couple problems: 1) The Packers won the Super Bowl (that’s right, this is all the Pack’s fault!); and 2) Valentine’s Day.

I wanted to blog about those.

And I felt guilty that I blogged about them instead of the Bible…and I shouldn’t make myself feel that way.

So I need to get out of this box of expectations that I’ve already plopped myself into.

God is doing some cool stuff and when the time is right, I’ll share it with you. That may be five times a week, it may be once every three weeks. But limiting myself (and Him) in that way is stressing me out and making me worry about what other people think.

So I’m going to move away from the whole Mondays-I-will-do-this-Tuesdays-I-will-do-that thing and just write what’s on my heart.

I’m jumping out of the box today.

Thanks so much for reading…and for those of you who have left comments or just told me you love my blog…

Thank you.

It means a lot.

Sig

Filed Under: goals, writing

Discipline

January 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So a few days ago I ran across a blog post my friend, Janet, wrote. You can read it here.

I thought it was really great and kind of kept it in the back of my mind, hoping for some inspiration.

In it, she talked about how, for the past few years, she has chosen a word to focus on for the year, and when I read it, I really wanted my own word to come to me. It makes a difference in my relationship with God when I have a goal to strive for and a specific area where I can watch and expect Him to do big things.

Then on the way to Bible study this morning, I was listening to KLove, and they were talking about the exact same thing.

The only difference is that, this time, a word immediately came to me. Literally…before the stoplight turned green. :)

Discipline.

I know I lack it in so many areas of my life.

Whether it’s going to bed at a decent hour, spending a good amount of time with God, exercising every day, or controlling my urge to completely binge on chocolate, I definitely need more discipline in my life.

So that’ s my word for 2011.

And while it’s tempting to make a huge list of things I can work on, I need to start small otherwise I’ll become too overwhelmed.

So let’s start with one goal. I also read a blog post here about the 5 O’Clock Club. It was fantastic…and convicting. I do not get up early and always have my time with God in the evenings. But I allowed the thought to cross my mind that maybe, just maybe, my days would be a lot easier and less stressful if I started them off right.

The thing that gets me is the 5:00 a.m. thing…I’m not really sure it would be good for anyone. (I have golden retrievers who get up at the first hint of noise.) Instead, I’m going to start realistically and set my alarm for 6:00. That will give me a good hour to get up, have my coffee, and spend some time with God.

To be honest, I’m not great at following through on long term goals, but the idea of a word for the year seemed to resonate with me and where my heart is right now.

So maybe this is my year to learn some discipline and follow through.

I’ll keep you posted.

Sig

Filed Under: goals, what I'm learning
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