2014 Goals

i have several goals in mind for 2014.  but the one that is paramount in my mind is:

to read my Bible EVERY DAY.  this new season of motherhood and being “on call” 24/7 for my precious son has presented a new (but not insurmountable) challenge to making my time in the word a priority.  i am a total believer that when something is truly a priority, 99% of the time, it’s my own fault if it doesn’t happen.

two things prompted this goal:
– the richest seasons of spiritual growth in my life have been the seasons where i simply made my devotions a priority.  not the years that i went to the most conferences or the times that i read the most spiritual books – although those offered significant contribution.  but just being in God’s word on a regular basis produced more peace in my heart, awareness of God’s work, deeper desire for Jesus and fruit in my life than any other single Christian discipline.
– i realized that i have recently taken on an unhealthy “all or nothing” mentality.  meaning, if i can’t have a full blown “quiet time” of reading my bible for X amount of time and praying for X number of minutes and reading X number of pages in a supplemental growth book, then i just blow it off altogether and do nothing, thinking “oh well, we’ll try again tomorrow.”  and while i want to still pursue more lengthy times of being in the Word, i don’t want to be so quick to dismiss the power of reading even small amounts of scripture.

so my goal for 2014 is to read my bible 365 days in a row.  even if it’s just 1 chapter before i fall asleep at night, or if it’s a much longer and deeper time during one of his naps – i want to prioritize reading God’s word every single day.  and i am not going to give up if i miss a day. i want to get as close to 365 days as i can.  a perfect “record” is not ultimately the goal – consistency and a pattern of prioritizing time with God in His word daily is the true heart behind this goal. and by God’s grace and the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit, i am excited to pursue growth in this area in 2014!