Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions this year? We didn’t. We would have except we have been sick for over two weeks and our one resolution was to get healthy! Seven out of eight of us are restored to our health but I’m not! I have found some great ways to eat your way back to health though and I’ll share those later this month. But if you made some resolutions, you’re probably still going strong or at least I hope you are.

Goals are great to have but did you know you have a better chance of reaching those goals if you write them down? Hello–this is how I accomplish anything during the day. Make a list and check it off! (And then show your husband when he gets home so he knows you actually did something today.) Wake up. Check. Feed kids. Check. Learn something at school. Check. Feed kids again. Check.

You get the point. Seriously, though, I have to make lists for everything. Number 1, because I like them and they make me feel organized. Number 2, because I’m getting to that point where if I don’t write it down, I don’t remember. So if my goal is to eat healthier in 2017 but I don’t write it down next to a healthier menu and recipes, then chances are I’ll forget and eat some Snyder’s Honey Mustard pretzel pieces. Man, those things are good.

Resolutions are more than just list-making though. They’re visible reminders that you’ve committed to making a change and seeing them in print helps you follow through. So I’m making a list today and hoping you are too. Here are a few things we are committed to changing this year:

Renewing our strength.

Honestly, between being sick and tired, it’s been a great reminder that our rest doesn’t come from early bedtimes (although that’s true too), but we find our rest and strength in the Lord.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Being filled with hope.

I don’t know if it’s an age thing or what, but there have been so many deaths lately, it’s disheartening and I’ve heard how hopeless people feel. Friend, let me tell you this. No matter how hopeless life seems, there is always hope, you just gotta find the right source.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Sharing love.

This is a new year and a great time to share love with others by being kind, respectful, and caring about them. When we know God and know he is love, then we are able to share that love that we’ve experienced with others.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Doesn’t that seem so simple? Those are our simple resolutions this year which will be pretty difficult if we try them on our own!

I just wanted to share that simple suggestion to keep truckin’ along in your commitment to #2017goals. Make a list of your goals because they’re just dreams until you write them down. Put it somewhere you’ll see it every day, like on your bathroom mirror or the fridge. The last thing we want is to commit to something like “eat healthier” and then slide your sticky note between your mattress and box spring where you won’t see it during those tempting times. Duh, nope!

And then share one of your resolutions below!

Happy New Year!