Beginning of the New Year

"I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious, provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience, etc. don't get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one's temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us: it is the very sign of His presence." C.S. Lewis

Every year my father would record our New Year's resolutions...well, that is when we were old enough to realize what a resolution was - and of course when camcorders were invented. I loved it. I loved it because I got to think about being new, about what that should look like. And I loved to hear my parents and my brothers express how they wanted to be new as well. We all wanted the same thing - to start over and do better, even though our personal goals, whether seemingly trivial or seemingly grand - were very, very different.

The ironic thing about a resolution - at least it is ironic to me - is that I cannot grow or change - without having been impressed to do so in the place where I have been. My New Year resolution for good change - is only realized because I have been there in that"place". Do you berate yourself like I do for having been there in the first place? I know, right? Why do we do that? Why do we expect that we should learn, move forward, or grow without bruises - setbacks - dirty knees... without error? What lesson is not riddled with mistakes? And who does not need to grow?

I can still hear my dad in our New Year's video blog, "This body before you will change." He often resolved to exercise and lose weight, and I love that even the day before he died he was still trying. We went for a long walk that May 28th evening, and my mom and I watched him run ahead of us what we called "the hill". We were ro0ting for him all the way - until he made it home. How sweet that memory to my soul when I consider "the hill" that is before me, the people in my life who hope, - who hoot, and holler for me to overcome, and the purpose of the victory.

Are you there? Are you at the base of a hill, too? Have you set out in your heart and mind what you want to do? to change? to pursue? to overcome? Have you made this resolution before? And now you hear yourself make it - yet again... GOOD FOR YOU!!! Fight for it! With all the awareness of what works, what doesn't, what triggers your set backs, what assures your advance...Go for it!

Is this a new resolution you're making this year? Sweetness! I'm with you...We're not going to let fear defeat us. Right? Crawling on hands and knees or running that hill - we're going to give it all we've got!

Uh oh - got a tune runnin' through my head. This is not good for you! I'm singin'...can you hear me??? "Climb every mountain! Ford every stream! Follow every rainbow, til you find your dream." Watch it when you get a chance. You'll get all fired up and flibbertijibbet with Maria.

I MUST - express deep, deep gratitude to our TEACHER who takes us daily by the hand - if we let Him - and leads us - on ahead - with Light - through The Experience of where we are...to see. to realize. to put off. to heal. to put on. to grow. to shine. to go. What an amazing God! Were it not for His grace we would not see; were it not for His Wisdom we would not learn; were it not for His patience we would not try; and were it not for His love, we would continue to misappropriate longing.

C.S. Lewis wrote, "Humanity does not pass through phases as a train passes through stations: being alive, it has the privilege of always moving yet never leaving anything behind. Whatever we have been, in some sort we are still." - The Allegory of Love

We only have to examine our passions in this life to remember who we were, who we still are - and with God given strength - embrace with humility and gratitude the gift of a new day in 2012 to learn of Him, by Him, for Him.

"He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Philippians 1:6

Happy New Year!