Love's the Word for 2012!

While reading through my long neglected feedly blog collection this afternoon, I noticed a lot of posts about the New Year and new beginnings, resolutions, and goals. But what really caught my eye were the bloggers who chose to dedicate the new year to a theme - a word. SO I have decided to ride on the coattails of those who have gone before me and share my theme this year with you...

This year, it's all about LOVE! What exactly does that mean to me? How does that fit into my day-to-day life? Here are some love related goals I have for the new year...

LOVING GOD

It is my deepest desire to know God more, worship Him more, and honor Him more, not just with my words and songs, but with my actions. The best way I can think of to show God how much I LOVE Him is to obey Him. I have always obeyed Him to the best of my ability in the little things, but it's time to get serious about my relationships. That starts with my relationship with my Creator and Savior, for without Him, I am nothing. This year, I am looking forward to listening for His leading in all areas of my life, finding opportunities to obey, and learning more about how to be truly LOVING from the One who first LOVED us.

LOVING MY HUSBAND

By following the example of Christ, I hope to become a more LOVING helpmeet to my husband. By putting God first (where He belongs), I will be able to show my husband more LOVE, respect, and honor. By putting God's will above my own, I will also be putting my husband and his needs above my own, because that's what His Word commands wives to do. Yes, I LOVE my husband, and he knows that, but I have plenty of room for improvement as a wife and a best friend.

LOVING MY CHILDREN

I have already experienced some major changes and breakthroughs in my relationships with my children in the past year, but this year I want to grow even more. I will take the time to really listen to them and be with them. I will take more interest in the things they are passionate about. I will validate their interests and encourage them to try new things. I will be more aware of my words and how they affect my children. I will repent when I have wronged them and ask for their forgiveness. I will speak life, LOVE, and encouraging words to them daily. I will be more affectionate and remind them often of how very much I love them and how blessed I am God chose me to be their mother.

LOVING LEARNING

Now that I am a college student, it is easy to let other things fall by the wayside because I have homework or other deadlines looming. But the education, discipleship, and care of my children should always come before my own. I will make every effort to make sure learning happens everyday. I will look for more real-life learning opportunities for my children and encourage them to explore new interests in an effort to attain new skills. I will lay off on the table time, and make sure I am focusing on the true objectives of education as God intended it to be (more about that in a future post). I will encourage them to work towards figuring out what God's purpose is for them, and provide the means for them to move towards that purpose. 

LOVING MY GOD-ORDAINED ROLE AS WIFE AND MOTHER

Let's face it, when you are at home everyday with your children, repeating the same tasks and routines day in and day out, it can get a little mundane. Burnout is always lurking just around the corner and it is easy to feel underappreciated or discouraged. The truth is, God has placed me in this house, with my husband and children, and given me the task of raising and taking care of a family. There is no "job" in the world I would rather be called to do! However, it is sometimes easy to forget that. It truly is a calling. My ministry is to my family. This year, I will remind myself of that when I start to feel sorry for myself or compare my life to the life of another. Everything I do, I will do with LOVE, devotion, and a smile because I know it is my Lord that has given me my tasks to complete, no matter how small or tedious it may be. I will not complain about folding the laundry or washing the dishes.... much ;)

I hope you now have a better understanding of how focusing on LOVE can have such an impact for change in one person's life, and why I have chosen to make LOVE my highest priority in the coming year. I also plan to be blogging much more. I have so much to share and it is important to get it out there so that it might bless someone else in some small way. I also really miss having a regular journal so to speak of our family's daily lives. 

How are YOU planning on making the most of the New Year?

Blessings,

Cassie