Resolutions

A Mourning Dove. Taken by my mom, Sherry Lou Wilson, at my parent's farm in Stella, MO

So some folks call them Resolutions. When I think of being “resolute” I think of determination and commitment. Those particular qualities I have displayed in my life…at times. I am also guilty of giving in to my sanguine personality and “just going along for the ride.” I am usually one to make a list of goals at the beginning of every year. It is a good time to reflect and to gain focus on one’s life. I am also guilty of neglecting those goals and falling back into chaos and despair (well, not quite…but sometimes it seems like it). It’s easy to get sidetracked. The cares of this life can seem so overwhelming. And frankly, when one deals in life and death it’s easy to brush off the smallness of everyday life as trivial. More than any other year in my memory I am heading into 2011 with real burdens…not just for myself, but for friends and family around me.

Members of our family ending a almost 30 year marriage, the long journey of healing for a family friend, a road of hardships for a beloved nephew, friends facing a heart breaking battle for the privilege just to be parents, friends and family in devastating financial crisis, a young man who needs divine intervention in his life for direction and clarity, friends are faced with losing their home. And there are more.

In my own life I have seen God’s hand time and time again…moving, direction, shaping. But where does my own Faith enter the picture? What am I responsible for? My family and I have some serious needs this year…actually, this moment. I believe that God is in control. Some answers to particular prayers have been a long time in coming. What do I do while I wait? This is where Resolutions come in. There are things I can’t change…But there are some things I can explore, renew and revive. The others I am just going to have to leave up to him.

There is a list right now I am working on. And it’s called…you guessed it…Resolutions. The list resembles other lists I have made in the past. The only difference is that I have come to understand is that in everything I undertake I need divine intervention. I also need to understand that these changes in come in time…baby steps. I have spent so much of my life just trying to survive or trying to live a normal life, when the truth is I am not really all that normal. The truth is I just can start my New Year off by learning (again) to embrace life and what God has given me to the fullest. And rejoice in what He has started already.

So what have you resolved to do in this New Year?