The new year always brings me to a place of evaluating. I spend the first week of the year reading through my journal to see if there is any common thread of things God's been saying to me so that I can address it. This year was no different than others in the past. I read through 2010 journal entries, looked at my goals and mission statement and made new goals that would align with where my life presently is. Then I re-write my funeral plans. My close friends and family know that I do this. It may seem morbid but the older I get the more I realize this is not morbid but instead very wise. My sister-in-law of 50 died of cancer Jan. 12, 2010; three other friends in their early 50s also died of cancer last year; and the older I get the more I realize that life truly is fleeting; and there is nothing that says this won't be the year that I leave this earthly body to reside eternally with my precious Savior. And I don't want my family to have to plan my funeral celebration.
I actually got the idea from my friend Connie who's been doing this for years. I love it. I pick my favorite song which does change year to year. I write a letter to my kids and my husband; I put it inside my bible and there you have it.
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| GIRLFRIENDS |
I'm very intentional about this each and every January. I'm also very intentional about looking at what God's been doing in my life and making adjustments to be disciplined and intentional about how I live. About where I serve and my job and my relationships. The older I get, the more intentional I become. I've been studying through Luke for the past month and was reminded today that Jesus challenged his disciples, thus challenging us to "put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." I love and I detest this challenge. But two years ago this was the verse that turned my business around for me. I realized that even after 18 years of being in sales and building a clientele and a sales team I often had my own motives in mind. When I turned them to having a heart of serving everything changed. Being in a business like I am with BeautiControl I am constantly working with women. Yes I'm trying to sell, but it's mostly about the relationships and I need to shoulder my cross daily and not make this about me. Trying to impart that to my team is a discipling and mentoring thing. Sometimes I weary of it; but mostly I love it and know God has called me into this.
That's the power of journaling. That's the power of evaluating and being intentional and seeing if I'm living out what God's called me into. I do not want to leave this earth with lots of regrets, but rather with lots of satisfaction knowing that I lived well, served well, planned well so that my God would say "well done, good and faithful servant".
