resolutions – Paula Davis

Dream A Little Dream

Posted on January 1, 2015January 1, 2015 by Paula Davis

Happy New Year!

Usually for me the start of a new year is all about goals.

It’s about figuring out what I believe I can accomplish, writing it down, and making a plan to see it through to completion.

Sounds easy and straightforward doesn’t it?

Some years I accomplish my goals and some years end with goals not reached. Most years see some progress, but honestly at the end of the year there’s a little emptiness. Sure I can be proud of what I’ve accomplished but there’s a little something missing.

Every year I’m afraid to dream.

Goals are good. They are important. When they are S.M.A.R.T. goals we can see a great deal of success.
Check out this previous post for more on S.M.A.R.T. goals.
https://pauladavispeace.com/2014/01/18/are-your-goals-s-m-a-r-t/

But sometimes there’s a dream in our heart that we’re afraid to utter — even to ourselves. We can’t pin it down enough to turn it into a goal. And perhaps it will take a little help from others and a dose of faith to see the dream become a reality.

I have a couple of those. I can give you reason after reason why they stay buried and why they will never come true.

What if my dream is too big?
What if my dream is too big and I’m disappointed?
What if others think my dream is crazy?
What if I’m too old?

These are things that hold me back.

The last few months I’ve been thinking more and more about my dreams, and separating a true, deep desire from a hobby or something I’d be interested in trying. Sometimes being busy with little projects can distract us from going after that big dream – the desire of our heart.

One very cool thing is that God wants us to have desires and when the desires/dreams of our hearts are in line with what He wants for us God assures us they will come true.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

When the Lord plants a dream in us He will see it through to fulfillment. I believe at the same time it requires a few things from us:

Spending more time in God’s word, building our faith.
We can’t know if the desires we have deep inside us are from God unless we spend time with Him. When we spend time studying God’s word and being quiet before Him we can be sure He will confirm the desires that are from Him and show us those that are not. He will build our faith as we know Him better.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Setting aside fear
When thoughts of fear and insecurities come to mind we need to stop thinking them. I know it’s not as easy as it sounds but it is vital to our faith-building! Make an effort to be aware of how you’re thinking and choose a ‘faith phrase’ to use to replace the negative.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 Timothy 1:6-7
Take the first step
Ask God to show you one thing you can do to start chasing that dream in a concrete way. Then DO IT!! It may take years for the dream to be completely fulfilled, but it can’t be fulfilled at all if we don’t get started.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

God does have big plans for each of our lives. As the days of this new year turn into weeks and months we are likely to get caught up in day-to-day activities that threaten to blur our dreams, so make a reminder for yourself. Write it down and/or find pictures that represent the dream. Put these reminders where you will see them regularly and keep it fresh throughout the year. I believe when 2015 comes to a close we will see ourselves closer to seeing our dreams become reality. It really is what God desires for us.

I wish for each of you joy, peace and prosperity throughout 2015. And I pray you will be unafraid – beginning today – to go after the dreams God has planted within you. You’re never too old – or too young to accomplish His desires for you.

And now I’m going to take my own advice!

blessings and peace to you…
Paula

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Erasing Regrets

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Paula Davis

In just a couple of days we’ll be ushering in 2015. For me each year seems to start out slow, but by September I begin to wonder where it went. And as the last few days approach many of us start to look at setting goals and making resolutions.

But what do we do with the year we’re leaving behind?

Do you find yourself ending the year with regrets? If we’re honest I think most of us do. They may not be huge disappointments, maybe something we have been trying to overcome for a while that we feel we made no progress on again this year. Or that little thing that nags at us and won’t seem to let go.

Starting a new year positively is much easier when we erase regrets, make things right inside and out, and allow ourselves to move on to a fresh new adventure.

Here are some thoughts on letting go and leaving the negatives of 2014 behind:

1. Be Truthful With Yourself
Sometimes I lie to myself about something that is nagging at me. I want to have put it behind me or not let it bother me but truthfully I’m hanging onto it. Once I admit that I’m having a hard time letting go I can begin steps to truly do so.

2. Write It Down
Writing down regrets makes them concrete. It makes them real. Whether it’s a word or two or multiple pages of thoughts and feelings, putting regrets in writing helps to let go of them. And once you’ve made the decision to let go you can rip up the paper as a symbolic gesture of ridding your life of that weight.

3. Pray About It
Is there a reason you are hanging onto this particular regret? What does God have to say about it? Ask Him to show you if there is something you need to do for proper closure. Have you forgiven or asked for forgiveness? Have you done your best to make retribution where necessary? Remember what God says in about holding on to regret:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 ESV

While God desires us to admit our sins and sometimes disciplines us, after that He’s done.

¹²For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103: 11-13 ESV

If God is telling you that you’ve done all you need to do and it’s time to move forward, do so. If he removes our sins and forgets them, why shouldn’t we? Ask for His help in letting go.

4. Stop Thinking About It
It might sound over-simplified but once we’ve determined we need to move on from a past mistake or unmet goal we are hanging onto it all comes down to choice. We choose to continue to dwell on it or not. When something God has told us to let go of comes to mind we need to shut down that thought. Choose to think about something else. Consider Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

4. Ask For Help If Needed
There are times we need an accountability partner to remind us of our decision and ask us about our progress in areas we are struggling. If you are having trouble letting go on your own find a trusted friend or professional to keep tabs on how you are doing. Often for me just knowing someone is going to ask me about a particular struggle helps me to move forward and make progress.

As the new year approaches, take some time to consider the past year. Remember what is valuable and let go of what is not. The process may take some time but there’s no better time to get started. As we ring in 2015 we can hopefully echo these words of Paul:

¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

Blessings and peace to you as you turn the calendar, leaving regrets behind.
Paula

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Habits Are Hard

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Paula Davis

It’s the time of year for resolutions. As 2014 dawns do you find yourself resolving to change things in this brand new year? I’ve been thinking about resolutions and how they are closely related to our habits. We resolve to lose weight, save more money, be kinder to those around us…there are so many common resolutions.

So we begin the year with good intentions and dive head-first into all the things we feel we need to change.

And then most of us fall on our faces a few weeks later.

But WHY?

Because our resolutions are directly related to our habits. And habits are hard.

Old/Bad habits are hard to break

New/Better habits are hard to make.

It’s really not as easy as writing something down on paper and declaring you will do it. It is said that it takes 21 days to make a habit and 21 days to break a habit. Intention and practice are required just like when we learn a new skill or hobby. Most of us could not pick up knitting needles and make a scarf in a couple of hours but experienced knitters can. Without winning the lottery or receiving a big inheritance people must work at building up a savings account. It comes by practicing restraint and saying “no” when we’d like to say yes more often.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

The good news is we can change. We just need to remember to crawl before we walk, and walk before we run. Setting the right goals are important and we’ll discuss that in the next post. But if you’re anxious to get started on a few you’ve already set remember these tips:

Ease into something new. If you don’t exercise regularly don’t attempt to get up every morning and work out for an hour. Start with 3 or 4 days of exercise and when you’ve conquered that add another day or two.
When/if you mess up just pick up where you left off. Don’t throw in the towel in February because you haven’t done as well as you hoped. Looking back to see SOME progress is better than no progress at all because you gave up partway through.
Find someone to cheer you on. You don’t have to broadcast your goals/desires/resolutions for everyone if you don’t want to, but having someone to cheer you on and keep you on track can be essential for success. We should all have a cheerleader as well as a drill sergeant and a shoulder to cry on.

Happy New Year to you all! I pray this year holds more blessings than you can count.

Are you making resolutions this year? If so, will you share them with us?

In my next post we’ll look at setting goals and planning for the year ahead.

blessings and peace to you!
Paula