Starting on the Right Foot

To My Favorite People in the Whole Wide World....

If I could gather you all in one room, I think my heart would be full from your smiles, laughter, encouragement, tears, and love for those around you. I think friendships are like the decorative touches in the interior of a home...you don't have to have that enormous clock hanging on the wall that you can't tell time from anyway to call your house a home, but it sure is beautiful to have around, and it fills an empty space on the wall which would be lonely without it.

Let's just say the walls of my home are filled with decorative touches...and you enrich my life with beauty more and more on a daily basis! Thank you for being you!

For those of you receiving the Proverbs text messages, thanks for giving me a week or so off! Somehow life happened, and isn't it funny how the first thing to go is the most important ingredient to your survival of the day? I know if my Bible had a voice (just imagine the dogs in the Disney movie "Up" who could suddenly speak words), it would be screaming at me like my kids, or my alarm, or my dryer buzzer, or my microwave.

And if that happened, I suppose I would feel more inclined to actually get up and "hit" the Word (not physically hit it...but hit it like hitting the books to study).

As I was reading in my Study Bible, I came across these notes that I thought made amazing sense, and has become my reason for reading Proverbs:

"Strategy for Effective Living

1. Begins with...God's wisdom...Respecting and appreciating who God is, reverence and awe in recongnizing the almighty God.

2. Requires...Moral application...Trusting in God and His Word; allowing His Word to speak to us personally; willing to obey.

3. Requires...Practical Application...Acting on God's direction in daily devotions; commiting to filter all words and actions through His directions.

4. Results in...Effective Living...Experiencing what God does with our obedience."

I loved this because I think it encompasses why we are where we are and whose we are leading to ultimately who we are...We are His, for such a time as this, to reach others for Him, and for glorifying Him in all we do. What a serious calling that begs to infiltrate every movement, word, intention, thought, act through His wisdom.

I always see the days between Christmas and New Years, to be a time of reflection. A time of recounting the past year, and where the following year might take me. I actually love this week because it gives me permission to sit and reflect in silence and hand over the reigns of the next year to the Lord. And I then ask Him to take me on the wildest ride yet...firmly planting me in the palm of His hand all the way through.

And so mamas, I challenge you to do the same. Sit for an hour and write out your goals, your prayers, your heart's desires, and then pick a verse that can become your theme verse for the year (this idea I stole from my wise mother-in-law). Grab a journal (my fav thing in the world if you see me on a regular basis is to cart around journals all with different purposes), and start a prayer journal...a spiritual road map documenting where the Lord will take you this year. (If you need an easy prayer journal format, let me know. I have a really simple one that is very user friendly and amazing in short amounts of time.)

If you don't mind receiving the Proverbs reminders via email instead of by text (saving my cell phone bill), let me know and I'll switch it. Again, if you don't care to receive anything and don't already, then no worries. :) I know there is only so much time in a day and many of you are being fed in other ways, which is already amazing!

And so my sisters...I hope you had an amazing Christmas with your hubbies and kiddos.

Here's to an off-the-hook 2010!

With love and complete respect...

Rebecca

PS...Please assume this is Proverbs 27 day! :)