Resolve.

1. verb: decide firmly on a course of action.
2. noun: firm determination to do something.

It's been 2014 for almost a week now, and I'm kinda freaking out, for multiple reasons. This is going to be a big year for us. Spencer's looking for an internship over the summer (which will hopefully lead to a job after he graduates this December), I'm finishing up classes and applying for a teaching internship. So maybe it's a small list, but they are big things. I've also completely avoided making New Year's resolutions, for no particular reason.

But then I got to thinking... why do we wait until the start of a new year to change our path? Why can't we just decide that tomorrow we want to be a little better, in one way, or ten ways? I feel like we never stick to our New Year's resolutions anyways, and we realize this after the first quarter of the year has passed. So why can't we resolve again to meet our goals once we've noticed our faltering?




I was thinking about this during Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday, and it fits so well with the Atonement. At the beginning of the year, we each analyze our lives and see where we stand physically, mentally, spiritually socially, and so on. But with the sacrament and the renewing power of the Atonement, we have the chance to change our path weekly; to resolve to do better, to alter our ways, every week. What a blessing that is, and what a loving God that has allowed such a pattern to exist.

We should place just as much thought into our weekly renewing of covenants as we see put into New Year's resolutions. Why wait a year, six months, or even three weeks until the start of a new year to change? You can change today. You can be cleansed of your sins and the missteps from the path every Sunday through the sacrament, because of the Atonement. We are so blessed to be able to pray unto our Father in Heaven daily and repent of our sins. With this plea for forgiveness we can resolve to become better, become more like Him, and draw closer to our Savior.

The Lord cares about us. He knows us, and He knows our needs. He wants us to be happy and He will help us in all our endeavors. Sure, New Year's resolutions aren't just focused on spiritual goals, but neither would our daily/weekly resolutions need to be. We can turn to our Heavenly Father for help in any area of our life, and He will help us. We can rely on the Lord for strength and through the enabling power of the Atonement the Lord will support us.




With all that being said, here are a few of my January 6, 2014 resolutions:

1. Keep a better record of my LIFE! (aka blog more)
2. Focus more on my husband, and less on myself
3. Push myself in my classes and in teaching so that I can learn!
4. Develop a better relationship with Heavenly Father through diligent prayer and scripture study
5. Develop family recipes
6. Write my missionaries!
7. Thank you notes! 

(So that might have turned into a to-do list more than a list of goals there at the end, but it's in writing, so it's now going to happen!)

And I'm sure there are more things that I want to accomplish throughout the year, but hey, this is just a start and I can edit my goals at any point, not just on New Year's, right?