living in color January 17, 2011

So how is the New Year going?   Did you make any New Year’s resolutions or set some new personal goals for 2011?

How do you feel about resolutions?  Over the years I’ve heard many different opinions about how to and how not to start off a new year and many came from u-tube videos, sermons or just from conversations over a cup of coffee.  I’ve heard New Year’s resolutions described as a new page, fresh beginning, and a chance to start again. And I’ve heard New Year resolutions also portrayed as guilt inducing, set-up to fail scenarios and I’ve even heard them condemned as being a sin.

In my own experience I have embraced, celebrated, regretted and cried over New Year resolutions… but mostly I’m amazed at how time flies.

Ever since the new millennium, every year just looks weird!  2011 looks like the date you’d see in a sci-fi movie.  Especially when I look back to the memorable 1980’s – the decade when I was a teenager, graduated, got married and had my first baby – it does seem like time has flown by.

But another year has started and this time of year does its ‘magic’ on people like me. I’m a ‘game plan’ type of person.  I’ve always had some form of a daytimer (if you’ve had one, you know what I’m talkin’ about).  Sometimes I bought them, other years I made my own. Printing off pages and schedules and organizing them in mini files in my carry-around notebook.  I can come up with the best game plan; organized, concise, filled with large goals, small goals and then daily time slots to enhance efficiency. I’ve even done the color coded thing… with red scheduling for exercise and blue for school, green for work… you get the picture (in full color). And when I was really on my game I’d even have a Bible verse inserted in my scheduling to ponder throughout the week.

Now I’m more into computerized scheduling, and I’m trying to resist the color coding because I find it much easier to create an impressive schedule than actually keep it! I can spend lots of time color coding and organizing a great looking schedule BUT it’s another story to keep that schedule.  All the fancy colors, creative fonts and lofty aspirations looked impressive enough – and it is fun to create – but it was much easier to make a plan than to keep it. It seems easier to come up with new ideas than to implement what needs to be done.

This morning I was reading through Philippians and there was a verse that literally jumped out in Technicolor.  Philippians 3: 16 “…let us live up to what we have already attained.” Paul is admonishing the Philippians to live up to what they know to be true.  In a portion of his letter when he is addressing how each should live, he basically says – ‘just live the way you know you should; live up to what you know is true’.

How about this for a New Year resolution: live up to what I already know.

Be the person I know I am.  Live life as I know the best way how.  Make the right decision because it is the right decision. Treat people the way I know they need to be treated.  Schedule my day the way I know it needs to be lived.

This reminds me of a saying I previously had in one of my daytimers (yes… in fancy script and bright colors).  To paraphrase it: “I don’t seek to teach you anything new; I strive to remind you of what you already know”.

So as I start 2011, I am once again ignoring the enticement of creating a ‘new life’ or a ‘new me’.  Instead I am seeking to live 2011 according to what scripture says.  I want to live up to what I already know.  This simple black and white message should provide a kaleidoscope of contexts for each day.

Copywrite © Doris Born 2011 – Permission granted to use and reproduce with proper citation

Advertisement