A Strong Resolution

I will prepare and someday my chance will come.  ~ Abraham Lincoln

I don’t have many resolutions for 2012, but the ones I do have will sustain me in the now and prepare me for the very near future.

Resolution 1:  Replace my math with God’s math

I am borrowing this concept from The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson.  In the book the concept looks something like this:

For most of us, when we have a dream or goal in life we usually tally up our ability to reach that dream or goal with a formula similar to the one below. 

 My abilities + my experience + my training + my personality + my appearance + my past + the expectations of those around me = my outcome.

There are two main problems with this formula.  The first being that everything is dependent upon what you did before you figured out what you want to do with your life.  The second problem is the fact that it is extremely limiting in terms of who can amount to what.   The good news is there is another formula out there.  God’s formula and it looks something like this:

My willingness + my weakness + God’s will + God’s supernatural power = our outcome.

With God all things are possible.  If God works through His children on this planet in order to do great things then shouldn’t we, His children, expect Him to want to step in and assist when we feel as though we might have bitten off more than we can chew or dreamed a dream larger than we know how to handle? 

The only problem with God’s math is that for most of us, it contradicts our common sense, our life experiences, our feelings, our teachings and it can make us appear to be complete idiots to the outside world.  But when you look at the lives of the most successful, more often than not, you will find evidence of God’s math at work and not our own.   If you look closely at their lives, almost every single one of them had divine appointments that pretty much set the stage for the success they enjoy today.   The good news is God can and will do the same for each of us too!  We just have to seek His will for the dreams and goals we hold.

Resolution 2:  Write. Write. Write.

If you want to be a paid writer, then you have to write, right?  Well, for those like me out there, whether or not we write is not really the question.  I write because I absolutely have to.  I’m always writing.  I’m always thinking about a project I’m working on or I’m jotting down pieces to a new project that is in the process of revealing itself.  I carry multiple note pads and sets of pens with me everywhere I go!  A writer writes and that is what I do though I do have to admit that for quite a bit of this past year I became very disillusioned and actually stopped writing.  Then a little shimmer of light appeared and I’ve been in high gear ever since.  I am currently working on three TV specs and intend to begin three feature length specs and a possible novel.

I guess you could say I’m exercising Resolution 1 while carrying out Resolution 2 in that I can write these projects, but as far as getting in touch with the right people at the right time and in the right place to actually make any of these projects become a reality… Well that would be where divine appointments come into play.

Resolution 3: Spiritual Cultivation

I have definitely been in a spiritual study mode this past year and I see it continuing into the next year.  The farther along I get in terms of my relationship with my Creator, the more I am realizing that while He may in fact have a purpose for me in my desired city and in my desired industry, that purpose may be secondary in His eyes.  This is a very recent discovery and it is still in digestion mode.

Resolution 4:  Stay Focused on God’s Truths

I put this as a resolution because the world likes to put limits on everything, whereas, God has no limits.  The world says you have to look a certain way, act a certain way, talk a certain way and think a certain way if you want be cool, have friends, get married, be happy and be successful.  But, what exactly does the world know?  Not too much when you actually think about it. 

This year I am going to stay focused on what God says about me and what God says about His ability to work through me in order to benefit myself and to benefit of those around me.  And if you want to know what God says about you, well, you do in fact have to read His word.

So there you have it.  My resolutions for 2012 may not look like much, but if I can master them I will be one happy and peace-filled woman.  What are some of your resolutions?  If you are willing, please share!  Sometimes just letting another person know what you want to do or become can be the difference in whether your resolution stays a resolution or becomes a reality!  Oh, and Happy New Year!