I really meant to do this on New Year’s Day. Really and truly I did. Perhaps my procrastination is indicative of my desire to be lazy! I know that once I write them down, I will be accountable.

I read a quote through twitter that I thought was really a good one…

“New Year's resolutions don't last! Only our commitments to change made to Christ and relying on His power to change us do!”

I wish I knew who to quote it to. I can trace the Tweet back to the founder of Celebrate Recovery, so for now, he gets credit.

Think about that quote though – how true it is!

On my own, I have absolutely no discipline or motivation. I’m lazy and perfectly content to sit around and veg. My sitting around is not honoring to God, my family certainly deserves better, and frankly, I owe myself more than that, too!

Without further ado, here are my New Year’s Resolutions in no particular order.

Serve My Family. As I mentioned in my last Crazy Love post, I really have been struggling with the fact that I’m not serving. I enjoy doing service projects, working with youth, being active in various church groups. However, I’ve really felt like those opportunities to do so as a family were not presenting themselves well this past year. I’m not naïve – I know they’re out there. As I was cleaning my house for Christmas, I felt as if God was saying to me, “This is the kind of serving you need to be doing.” Now he wasn’t saying, “Dust your house,” (though perhaps He should have been). Rather, He was reminding me that I need to serve my family without grumbling or complaining. I need to stop keeping score of who last took out the trash or emptied the dishwasher. I need to make our house a place of respite and renewal for all of us. I need to cast off my selfishness and choose to clean. I need to be obedient to God in His request of me serving my family. And I know that this simple gesture will also make all of us happier.

Eat More Healthfully / Meal Plan. Our schedules are very inconsistent, so this one will be challenging. We often rely on frozen lasagna or other “take out” type options found in the frozen food sections or restaurants on the way home, simply because we sometimes don’t get home until 6:30 or 7:00pm. However, with a bit more planning, we can easily have grilled meat and salad, fresh fruit and veggies, or even healthy leftovers each night. I need to focus on eating less processed food and more fresh food, less sugar and white carbs and more fresh fruit and veggies. Jon is fully on board with this and is also a spectacular cook, so we really need to join forces on this one.

Go to Bed by 10:30 on Work Nights. I’m a night owl. Always have been. And I’m TERRIBLE about mornings…always have been. However, my late night habits are neither healthy nor productive. It would be different if I was up cooking, cleaning, exercising, or reading the Bible. However, I’m typically doing none of these things. While what I’m typically doing (scrapbooking, chatting on line with Bloomies, watching videos, etc) isn’t BAD, it’s not necessary or productive, and it’s hurting my time with my family.

Eat Breakfast. When I was in fifth grade, I did a speech on why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It was all about “Breaking the Fast.” And yet, I typically value sleep over a healthy breakfast in the morning, opting instead to just grab something and go. Unfortunately, my kids often also “grab and go.” It’s SO easy to whip up some scrambled eggs and ham. My mother-in-law has a fabulous recipe for oatmeal waffles; the batter stores in the refrigerator for a couple days. Both of these options are healthier and more filling for a longer period of time than our current breakfast choices. Even choosing to sit down together as a family for a bowl of cereal is a better start to the day. And if I go to bed earlier, I can get up with adequate time to do this.

Exercise Consistently. I finally got fed up with the baby body-shifting I’ve experienced. The weight is gone…but with it is every ounce of tone I once had. I’m tired of not buying clothes because trying them on is depressing. I’m tired of embracing the trendy “baggy” style simply because I wouldn’t dream of wearing a fitted shirt right now. I’ve signed up to run a Half Marathon this Spring. Not only have I signed up, I’ve PAID! I’ve also discovered that even with a deadline and a goal, my schedule makes fitting in exercise VERY challenging. So I do feel a bit better about my lack of exercise – that it wasn’t just sheer laziness! Despite that, however, I have 13 miles to run in a mere 72 days, so I better get going! The half marathon is only one piece of motivation though – I also know that exercise makes me feel better, makes me more alert, boosts my self confidence – there are NO negative effects for me with exercise. I also want so badly to model good and healthy behavior for my kids – so consistent exercise is a must. This morning, Amara asked me, “Can tomorrow’s adventure be to the gym so we can go swimming?” Life’s an exciting adventure to her – what a great attitude! And why can’t the adventure take us to the gym!?

Draw Near to God. I said these aren’t in rank order, but this is easily the most important. Kelly at Kelly’s Korner said it perfectly. I spend many hours of each day singing or listening to praise and worship music. I pray frequently throughout the day as people and thoughts cross my mind. I interact often with other Christians and engage in biblical discussions. However, I don’t do a good job of consistently being IN THE WORD and truly getting to KNOW God by reading what He has said. I absolutely NEED to be in His word and get to know him better.

So there you have it. Those are my Resolutions for 2010.

Or perhaps I should call them “My Commitments to Change Made to Christ.”