With God's Help in 2013 I will...

With God's Help in 2013 I Will...

It has to be more than resolutions by John Godfrey  



I want to Live life on Purpose! Life without living it on purpose passes by far too quickly! Before we know it we are near the end looking back and we have moved to the beat of others drums.


Without living on purpose we miss many of the opportunities to be with the ones we love, we miss their input into our lives and they miss ours. Sadly the time lost can never be returned to us. In the end our relationships are left weak and frail. We need each  other throughout life and that has to be done on purpose. It takes effort! I want to do better this next year at loving my family and friends and living on purpose for them. 



I want to Treat Others with Respect! Regardless of personal, religious, or political differences I need to be respectful. No one deserves a “know it all” attitude from me so even though I will always be open and honest, I'll try to do so with respect and answer tactfully.

God gave us the freedom to make choices even if we choose the wrong ones. We live with the consequences of our choices, so why should I do less for others? I'll share my values, guidelines, and input where necessary without hesitation, but I will never attempt force to my views on others. Others are due respect no matter how old or how young.


I want to Give More of Myself and Expect Less in return! My closets are full of clothes and other items that I do not use or need. There are things I can do to help the less fortunate and I need to do them. Time, Money, Clothing, Shoes, and more of my blessings are being wasted when they could be used. I want to be more aware of the needs of others and how I can help them. I want to be a giver and not a taker!

I want to Give God More of my time and effort! Days, weeks, and years pass by without thought of eternity or our purpose while here on Earth. Everyone has a reason for living, breathing, and being. God cannot, or maybe I should say will not use us if we do not make ourselves available without reserve. Of course that's not always easy to do and I'll most likely fail at times, but anyone that continually travels down the wrong highway in life will end up with an unfulfilled and empty existence. Life is not about stuff, it's about sharing and helping each other along the way as we follow God's leading. It takes strength to stand and give more time to God when others mock; its always easier to walk away, but we are told to stand in order to find our life purpose.

I want to Stand Strong even if it is on my own regardless of the manipulators and the pressure from others! No, I'm not saying that we should ignore others suggestions completely, however once I come to a decision that I feel is morally, spiritually, and economically correct for me and those I love, I will stand on that belief. I will not be forced to fit into any individual's, or any group's idea of what I should be, what I should do, or how I should act. Those decisions are between me and God.

I will do my best to avoid the manipulators that feel their way is always the “right way” and that everyone must follow their lead. I'll avoid the controllers that for the sake of getting their own way, have their own laws of life, but disrespect others feelings or wishes. In a way they live by the rules of their own minds and do not believe others have the right or the intelligence to make decisions. They lack faith and belief in others and everything must be their way. Selfish Manipulators and Controllers will be treated kindly, but for the most part they will disregarded in my decision process. God help me from manipulating or controlling others to further my own agenda or to simply be in control.

I want to Practice Forgiveness! As much as is humanly possible I want to forgive those that have wronged me, my family, and my friends. Some forgiveness can only come with God's help and I already know it will come hard, but I want to be available to let Him forgive others through me just as God has forgiven me. I cannot expect God to forgive my failures without forgiving others.

I want to Control my Tongue and even my Writing! Gossip, slander, or ridicule in any form, be it spoken or written, is wrong and hurtful. Every time someone is mentioned in a negative way by me or others it is a form of attack and personal destruction against that person. No doubt, some people are completely evil and need to be spoken against, but I'm speaking of normal everyday people that we know and associate with at work, in church, or in our relationships. The Bible says that the tongue has the power to kill. Good people in churches, groups, or personal relationships do easily get caught up in gossip and many feel it is okay to do so. Why? Because many times we feel that the gossip is true, but that matters not because its still destructive. I know I'm not perfect in this, I've done it. Even so, God forgives and forgets so when do we do the same? My goal is to move on with my life and not be stuck in the mud with others that have failed because I've failed as well. Or, in other words why should we throw stones when we live in glass houses of our own,

Finally, with God's help I want to be More Creative with the hands and mind that He has given me. God is the great Creator of all things and my desire is to be a small part of his continuing work by creating what I can. It may be writing, photography, music, or a combination of all three? Regardless, I want to express what I feel in a creative way because a person that is creating things has little time to be destructive.

Final note.
Throughout this past year and my life in general I have failed many times at all of these things, however should I stay in this rut simply because of my past?

With God's help these Eight things can transform my life in 2013. When I Focus my attention on: Purpose; Respect; Giving; God; Standing Strong; Forgiveness; Control My Speech; and Creativity, my life will be moving in the right direction. If not, then my life will be on my usual self-centered terms.  Time is fleeting for us all.

These things really are important to me. They are not rules and rituals that I feel are necessary for me to earn a place in Heaven, no not at all because I firmly believe and know that Heaven is because of my acceptance and belief in Jesus plus nothing and minus nothing. We cannot earn it or buy it through our quote "Good Works", "Traditions" or "Rituals". If we could work our way in then Heaven would be because of us and not because of Him and that does not match with Holy Scripture. No, these resolutions for the lack of a better word are just common sense things to help me be a better person and more true to who I fail to be, but really who I want to be. If I slip, I pray I'll get up and try again.

So what is important to you in the year ahead?  Lord willing 2013 will come and go before we know it, or who knows all things could come to a finale and that would not surprise me at all. Think about it!  My hope is that you will have a Happy and Fulfilling New Year!

HAPPY 2013!