Every new year I always make resolutions, then swiftly fail to keep them. This year, it needs to change. I'm thinking that I have to make this a deeper, more spiritual and lasting kind of change in my life. And in order to do that I am going to sacrifice some things that I enjoy, but don't need, in order to maybe gain a more firm reminder of what really matters.
Last year I set a goal to be less materialistic and stop caring so much about things, like buying clothes and other things that I really have more than enough of. My goal was definitely not accomplished in 2013. This is something that I think takes my focus from what really matters, and takes my focus from Christ and his purpose for me in my home, family, and career in music. My goal for this new year is to take the money I think about spending on things , mainly clothes, I don't need and putting it towards:
- Extra payments on loans (school, house)
- Others in need (charities, my church, any organizations that help those in need)
I figure I can track how much I end up saving at the end of every month. This will also minimize the stuff I accumulate, hopefully keeping our house cleaner, which also keeps me sane.
The second thing I want to give up is starbucks. I'm fasting from it for an indefinite amount of time. This is for a few reasons:
- health (I get lattes and frappes...)
- to save money for reasons listed above
- spirituality- it's kind of a selfish way to spend my money when there are people who can't even afford to eat in the world. I have a coffee maker and the means to buy coffee, that's all I need.
The third thing is liquor. This is something I just feel like I've been convicted on and haven't bothered thinking about. So now I need to address this. Again, this is for an indefinite amount of time, so until further notice. This is for similar reasons as the Starbucks- health and spiritual. It's not like I get drunk all the time or something...But it's a can of worms that I would rather not open myself up to. This is something that is not a huge problem or anything for me, but just something I feel God put on my heart that I don't really need.
This year I want to be less about me and more about Christ, my family, and others. Christ calls us to selflessness, and that's something that this advent season has convicted me of. I have seen so much selfishness and anger in people over whatever it may be: Christmas shopping, impatience in getting where they need to go, etc. So, I figure I can start to break the chain myself and see where it takes me. Most of all, I fully believe I'm here to represent Christ. The less my life is about me, the better.
