Resolutions

Well, for Lent this year I gave up smoking. Only, I really just used Lent to give me that extra little push I needed to quit for good.

But, an interesting topic was brought up at church last week and I just thought I'd share it with you all. It was this thought that if the pre-crucifixion and resurrection period known as Lent is supposed to represent our devotion to Christ in making small sacrifices, then the season post-Easter should be considered a 40 day feast of sorts. Our pastor urged us to "add" things into our life in this season whereas in the Lenten season we have removed things. I thought long and hard all week about this and I think I've come up with a few good things I need to "add"... if not add more of.

I've been getting into really healthy eating lately and have been doing a lot of my shopping at the Dekalb Farmer's Market. I am including in my diet a healthy dose of fruit (those that have known me in the past could possibly hardly recall me ever picking up an orange, but honestly, I have been downing navel oranges like they're going out of style). Eating healthy is not just going to be a watered-down low-cal no-substance boring brigade, though. I intend to include as many whole grains as I possibly can, while at the same time eliminating bleached flours and white starches. Fruits, fresh meats and lots of spices will be the staples of my diet. I realized just this year that God has placed food here for our enjoyment, and that doesn't mean that I have to "enjoy" ice cream with every meal. But, it does mean that I should explore and expand my cooking and tasting pallette.

The other night while babysitting for some friends, I had a good amount of time with nothing better to do than read. It has bemoaned me for some time how I don't seem to read as much as some people I know, and how I've always seemed to wish I read more. I do intend now to put aside time for pleasure reading.

And this brings me to the most important part of all. My time with God. Me and the Big Man have had (for the most part) what I like to picture in my head as a "caption blurb" relationship. It's almost like I picture God constantly watching me like a floating camera or one of those caption blurbs that floats above the character's head in a comic book. God is inside the blurb and so he can also read all my subtext that's going on, too. The biggest problem with this bit of imagery (altho it might be close to the truth perhaps) is that it causes me to not desire more intentional time with Him because I feel that He has already listened to my prayers as I pondered them all day long. I can imagine if I were dating or married to someone who became so comfortable with me that after an amount of time they stopped putting aside intentional time for me or stopped saying "I love you," because it was supposed to be "understood" that I already knew the way that they felt for me. Puh-leazy. That junk would never fly with me and so why should I treat my Lord any differently from how I would like to be treated myself. My utmost resolution is therefore to spend daily intentional time with the Lord in outloud communication or in visible worship and praise. For all that He has done, even for me, it is the least that I could do.