This morning, I thought about today, Saturday, 12/28/24, which is exactly one week into Winter. The Solstice was last Saturday, and since then, we’ve started gaining daylight hours… which we cannot yet enjoy because of the cloud cover, wind, rain, and bomb cyclones pounding the mainland.
For those who appreciate the planet’s tilt and spin, you know what I’m talking about.
If not, at least you can understand being a week into anything new. As in, next week, we start a new year, and resolutions are flying off the proverbial planning shelf as quickly as wind-blown leaves skip across the yard.
During this first week of winter, we celebrated Christmas and had some family time the day after. There’s no tree to haul away because I’m opposed to chopping down trees just for a short season. About as much as I’m opposed to killing flowers just to give them to someone.
As I left the dark cave of a bedroom we enjoyed and moved into the part of the house where we flipped switches to make a false light, I realized that I was not ready for longer days of natural light. Let it stay dark and gloomier for a few more weeks, and then we can have more sun.
Any first week of anything, you understand, you will have ups and downs, positives and negatives, and you quickly learn to go with the flow just as you would any other week of the year.
Do you remember that first week of driving privileges? Legal privilege, of course. I was happy to jump in the car and do errands all day long. I still enjoy the car part and the errand part, but my time is more valuable, so I must weigh the pros and cons of consolidating trips into a single event every few days.
Ahhaa… First week.
Remember when you promised to read the Bible entirely through last January? We’re nearly at the end of the year. Success?
How about your exercise, weight, and health desires? Still cooking?
I heard someone say they needed to read one more book this week to reach their annual goal.
Look at your expense and savings accounts. Did you control either one of them?
Did you call home every week like you said you would?
Something I’ve known but often find it hard to enforce, “you got to have the want to,” and “starting with the end in mind” sets the stage for success.
Tracking successes and failures helps you understand the attitude of winning. Ask any sports team. It may be “all about winning,” but not every play or inning is a win. You have good days. You will experience bad days. But roll them up and make wise use of all days. Keep driving yourself to win!
Do It!
Imagine Noah. Forecast. Planning. Doing. Surviving. Now, let’s rebuild the earth. It’s a lot to ask the few on your team, but that’s your starting point. I believe Noah started the right way.
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD,
and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma.
Then the LORD said in His heart,
“I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
(Genesis 8:20-22 NKJV)
I’ve been in a writing group for several years. Christian writers. Before you do anything or make plans that may not succeed, have a Business Meeting with God.
Could I say it like this? Every morning is the start of a new day. Give God the First Focus, and let him direct your steps.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
(Psalms 119:105 NKJV)
Notice. The lamp is to my feet…next steps. The light is to my path…future steps. David understood this and lived this better than most of us. “You will light my lamp…and enlighten my darkness.” (Psalms 18:28). Though he struggled at times, he always knew how to restart his plan.
Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything I am thinking.
Don’t let me follow evil ways,
but lead me in the way that time has proven true.
(Psalms 139:23-24 CEV)
C.S. Lewis says this: “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” Start the day with God. Don’t depend on yesterday. Trust him for to everything as you move forward.
Have you had your Business Meeting with God this morning?
Thank you for reading.
Please share with others.
It helps me get my book written!
(Below, you may find other topics similar to this one. Please read on!)