Welcome July - Welcome Changes

Welcome July! Summer is in full swing, the weather is heating up, vacations are planned and if you can believe it, 2018 is over half way through! That caused me to do some reflecting. In January, I picked a 'word of the year', one to give guidance and hopefully instill the characteristics of into my life. Much time is spent reading and listening to relevant material and this week, I realized progress has been made in this area, but there is much more needed....and time is moving along quickly.

July is a special month because my firstborn son was born in July. Becoming a mother was one of the life changing milestones that gets reflected on each July. The son turned 27 this year, but I never will forget the moment he was born. Being a mother is an area of continual learning and growth!

Where are you at as we face the mid point of the year? Are there areas you still want to improve? It would be easy to give up on goals and aspirations since so much of the year has gone by. Next month is August and school begins a new year and then you know once fall arrives, the rest of the year is a blur.

But, what if we took one month and renewed our focus? Determined to not give up on what we started at the beginning of the year but to enter July with a plan to move toward areas we want to grow in. If we spent 30 days focused on one area to improve, things could look different for us come August 1! Where are you today and where could you be 30 days from now? Be encouraged to pick one area, make a few changes. We can start small, but end big.

Where do you want to grow:
Personal Health - weight, diet, exercise

Spiritual Health - Bible reading, prayer, worship, service, stewardship

Better habits - time management, being on time, becoming more organized

Relationships/Service - loving others, meeting needs, growing in communication

Whatever area you choose to better, three things will help you meet that 30 day improvement.

1. Plan - write down your goals. Put them in sight.

2. Partner - tell someone about your plan

3. Progress - track your habit formation in writing

There is something special about a new month, it is ready to be explored, made the most of and an open opportunity for us to be better.

Comments

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.

Joyfull Living

Search This Blog