Even The Best Intentions Need A Battle Plan

I've been without my kids for almost 4 days now.  Actually, they are on their way home now!  I can't wait to squeeze those cheeks and hear the stories of their adventures at Meme and Poppie's.  But as much as I love my kids it was so nice to take a mental break from the pressures of being in charge of 5 littles.

My brain gets tired and my emotions get raw and my energy gets drained.  It's just the normal wear and tear of life as a Colony mom, but sometimes it's good to get a break, even from the best of things, like our kids.  It helps us renew ourselves in order to love them better.

The entire way home on Tuesday I was making mental notes of all the projects I wanted to dive into and all the rearranging i wanted to do.  My mental list was beginning to get pretty lengthy.  But one thing I know from experience is that if I do not write down all that I want to do and detail out exactly what I need and how I am going to execute the plan I will wander around the home for 3 days with a bunch of half-completed projects and nothing much to show for my growing list of good intentions.

It's the same with the new resolutions we have made for 2015.

You should certainly make a list of all the things you want to change and do this year, but take that extra time to really flesh out the HOW.

HOW are you going to get back into shape?  Have you chosen a workout plan? A gym? A specific space in your home that needs to be prepared to make it exercise friendly?

HOW are you going to eat better?  Are you going to eliminate certain foods?  Eat by the parameters of a specific diet?  Do you need to go through your pantry and throw out the junk?

HOW are you going to spend more intentional time with your kids?  Do you have specific boundaries for electronics that distract you from your family?  Are you going to take your kids on dates every two weeks?  Are you mentally preparing yourself for the messiness of the projects they are going to want to dive into or the extra cuddle time at night?

HOW are you going to spend more time with God?  Are you going to read through the Bible this year?  If so, what plan are you going to use?  Are you going to pray more?  If so, what does it look like?  Are you going to memorize more scripture?  If so, how are you going to choose those scriptures?  Are you going to do a verse a week or a chapter a month?  What exactly does it look like?

Even the best intentions need a battle plan.  Let's do more than say we are going to change.  Let's do more than write a long list of things that need to be different this year.

Make a plan.
Get as specific as you can.
And then follow that plan to its completion.

Let's be children of the light, with a purpose, a plan, and a Savior who has given us everything we need to live a life, full of joy in Him.