So it’s that time of year again. All that remains of the family meal are the extra pounds revealed by an unsympathetic scale. The presents have all been opened and the excitement of new toys and gadgets slowly fade. For some, the tree is dismantled, decorations are carefully stored away for another year, and life resumes its pre-holiday routine. 

Many of us are struck by a sense of emptiness at this time of year. Despite the joy of the receding season, we feel discontented. Our minds wander, and we begin to evaluate the lack of fulfillment of our lives. We become plagued with thoughts of what will bring contentment and success. Consequently, we make resolutions of what we will accomplish in the coming year. We envision what we would like our lives to be at the end of the year, and jot down what we see. Typical lists may look like this:

                1. Lose weight.
                2. Make more money.                 
                3. Spend more time with my family.

One problem is that our lists are usually not clearly defined. How will you know when you have reached the end of your goal? Further, a year is a long time. Our goals, desires, and values change over time. Two months from now, your resolutions may be different than they are now.

This coming year, I will not be making New Year’s resolutions. I do, however, have several areas of my life that I desire change. Through prayer and contemplation, here is the synopsis of my plan for the new year.

Each week, I will set a new goal for myself. The goal will be precise and measurable. I am a three-part being – I am physical, I am mental, and I am spiritual. Therefore, each week I will focus on one of these areas, and the fourth week will be a random, perhaps fun challenge for myself. After all, if it all seems like work, drudgery will quickly set in, bringing heaps of discouragement with it. My motivating factor in this is that surely anyone can do anything for just one week!

I’m learning to be more excited about the journey than I am the destination!

My goal for this first week is simply to take time in prayer before starting my day. This is an area that has been lacking for me lately, yet I know how important it is. So get out of bed, get dressed, grab come coffee, and visit with the Lord for a while before anything else!

Oh, and just to keep myself honest, I will post my progress here at the end of each week. :)

So how about you? Do you have a plan for the coming year? Will you make resolutions? What changes would you like to bring to your life in the coming weeks and months?

I do not know anyone from this school. Yet hearing of the event struck my heart with sadness for those affected. I cannot even begin to imagine how shattered many people are feeling at this very moment. I sit here fighting tears, wondering how I can help. Prayers have been flowing. I feel a longing to comfort mourning parents, and yet I feel so helpless.What words could suffice? How can one be made to understand the reason for such tragedy and loss? Mere mortals can give no hope, no peace. God alone can do this, so I must defer to Him, trusting that He will heal the broken.

All too soon your light has gone out.
I cannot understand what it's all about.
Why did you have to leave this way?
Oh, to go back to yesterday!
I long to hear your laughter once more,
And see you bounding through the door;
To kiss your face and tuck you in.
But those moments will never come again.
My heart is broken. I can't stop shaking;
But from this nightmare there is no waking.
They'll lay your body 'neath a granite stone.
That distant Heaven is now your home.
Yet you're never really far away.
For in my heart you will ever stay.
Rest now and be free in that land above,
My flesh and blood, my child, my love.

CK 10.14.12
Dedicated to the children who lost their lives in the shooting at
Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, and to their parents.

*1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
*Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Picture with me a scenario: I sit down with pen and paper. I begin to write a novel. There is no story without characters, so as I write, I create a character to go with my story. To give the character depth, she has to have a story - a past that made her who she is. I have to point out her attributes, her strengths, her weaknesses, her desires, her fears. In my imagination, I must fully create this character. I come to know her so intimately that she becomes real to me, almost like an imaginary friend. I now know her in a greater way than I know most of my flesh-and-blood friends and family.

I finish creating the character. Now it is time to write the story. In any good book or movie, there is conflict. It may be internal or external, but in some way, the character must come in contact with difficult situations and difficult choices. She must be challenged. But when authors sit down to write, they usually have an idea of how the story will end. The details may change along the way, but the general direction of the plot is often already defined in the author's mind.

In the verses above, we find that God is an author. He is the author of peace and of our faith.

I was struck by this concept today. With my first book in production, these verses have a new meaning for me. I feel like, for the first time, I GET it.

Imagine, as I sit at my desk, writing my novel, the character that I have created leaps off the page. She stands before me, hands on her hips, eyes glaring. In a fit of anger, she yells at me for the conflict she is going through. Do I not understand how hard it is on her right now? Do I have any idea of what she's going through? Perhaps she cowers in a corner, head on her knees, weeping. Her past haunts her. People have wronged her, and the pain is still fresh. She has wronged others, and the guilt eats at her. Maybe she simply speaks to me, admitting that she is afraid of the unknown. She is terrified for the pages of her story to be turned, because she has no idea what is to come.

How ludricrous it is to imagine this scnario actually playing out. Of course, the words I write will not take the shape and leap off the page. This character will not come suddenly to life and derail us for creating it.

On the contrary, we do it often ourselves. God is our creator. We are the characters that He imagined, and our life is parts of the story He is writing. As a good author, He already knows the end of the story. He has to put us into times of challenge and conflict, knowing that it adds depth to our character and realism to the story. Yet, rather than trust the Author to write the story as He sees fit, we jump off the page and rail against Him. In essence, we tell Him that the story He is writing is not adequate.

Lord, help us to see the story through Your eyes. Help us to realize that You are the author. You have created us, and in the course of our trials, you are creating depth. You are challenging us, and in that, the story continues to grow. Thank you, Father, for your work in me. You are creating a best-seller!

So what story is God writing for you? What attributes has He given you, the main character? What happy ending is He creating?