PREPARING FOR A GREAT YEAR – INSIDE AND OUT!
Have you ever met someone so “heavenly minded that they are no earthly good?” Here are a few tips from personal experience to prepare both your home and your heart for greatness.
Clean Out Clutter
Clutter in our homes can cause unnecessary chaos. Whether it’s the lost car keys or misplaced homework, much of the frantic hysteria so common to households can be eliminated. Why not begin an anti-clutter campaign this week to begin the New Year with order? Here’s how I’ve done it (three times a year) for many years:
Give each family member four trash bags, limit your campaign to one hour, and don’t budge. This approach prevents the “I wanted to watch Saturday cartoons,” whining. While they clean, you start cooking their favorite meal and/or usually prohibited junk food. With trash bags full, enjoy a meal filled with laughter about all the stuff they discovered.
Spiritual Clutter
Our hearts collect clutter and need regular cleaning, too! David said, “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.” Ps. 51:10 Refuse to keep unforgiveness and strife in your heart. Toss it out forever. Proverbs 20:3 is so inspiring. “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife.” During this month, spend some quiet time getting clean before the Lord. You’ll have a new sense of purpose and joy all year.
Pick Your Priorities
Even if you work outside of your home, in studying Titus 2:2-4, we find a woman’s scriptural priority is to oversee the home. Also, Proverbs 31:27 says, “She watches over her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” It takes time to keep order in your home, cook decent meals, have time to listen (when they need to talk, not when it’s convenient for you). A woman committed to her family won’t have much extra time, so make it count for eternity! After the kids are molded and their convictions are set in stone, you’ll have plenty of time for “your” life. Here’s what I’ve done to be able to enjoy (not tolerate) a home full of busy, growing kids, not to mention a wonderful full-time husband.
Set limits on each child’s activity. Ours could be involved in one main activity; ballet, soccer, etc. By high school that number grew, but so did their emotional potential. With three kids, that kept us plenty busy, yet not overwhelmed. I’m a great believer in the need for downtime. Attending church and family dinners were not optional. Doing homework before play, no television on school days, and placing their backpacks by the garage door the night before prevented many frantic, sleepy mornings.
Spiritual Priorities
Jesus talked often about priorities. He commended Mary for pushing aside domestic duties and choosing to sit as His feet. He commended a widow who gave in the offering sacrificially. He commended a Roman centurion for displaying great faith.
As you begin a new year, make your prayer time an extreme priority. Even the medical world has confirmed the physiological value of prayer. While our children were in elementary school, I helped them with their daily Bible time and prayers. I remember one night, in particular, I was so exhausted that I decided to push through the “brush-your-teeth” speech and not mention the Bible story. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Their spiritual habits are eternal and their teeth are not.” From then on, I admit we sometimes skipped brushing our teeth, but NEVER the Word of God.
Start Something New
The new year brings new schedules, new activities, and new attitudes. It’s a good time to get out of ruts and try something new. Only a fool thinks he can do the same old things and get different results. Why not join a health club, learn a different language, or write a song? To go where you’ve never gone, you must do what you’ve never done.
Spiritually New!
Paul instructs us in Ph. 4:13 to “Forget those things that are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead…” Yes, you can learn from your past, but forget about that failed business, forget about that relationship that turned sour, forget about your mistakes. God is doing something new in you. Think fresh. Dream big. What would you do if you knew that you would not fail?
As you begin this new season, consider both your natural and spiritual realms to be important. Dedicate your entire life to Jesus right now and prepare for a Happy New Year.
