Resolution.

So here is the start to my new blog. Obviously, since there are no posts preceding this one! But I feel a little bit cliché, starting a new blog at the beginning of the year and all. However, my goal is to simply not let this blog become a cliché resolution that comes to a crashing halt in roughly two weeks. I know that with break ending, classes starting and life picking up again that keeping a blog will be a little tough, but I think I can handle it.

I'm really hoping that with this new blog, I’ll be able to keep myself on track with God and focus on learning new things about Him. Over the past few months I have grown in my prayer life and have gotten better at involving God in my daily life, which is good! But, I have slacked off in my devotions and really taking the time to get to know my Savior more and more, so the growing in my faith has slowly come to a halt. Over break, God has really really spoken to me about what my life is all about and how much more I can be doing for Him. I'm learning so much about how much He has done for me, and how much I should do for him. This is where one of my favorite verses (and theme of the blog) comes in! It says:

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." [Philippians 2:14-16]

I stumbled upon this verse a couple of years ago, and it has really stuck with me. It kind of sums up what I want my faith to evolve into, and how to do that. I want to be a strong witness for Christ and shine of His love to those who surround me in my everyday happenings. I want to live in a way that shows who God is in my life, and to do that I need to learn more about God. However, the first half of this verse shows me that I can't just expect to appear that way, but I have to do something first. That is something I have always missed until now. Before, I would try to just be kind and loving to those around me without really sticking to it, thinking that was my best effort of "shining". Now I'm learning that it's a lot harder than that, that I need to eliminate grumbling and arguing, and only then can I begin to shine. It's easy to just say "okay, I won't complain and I won't argue, and I can do it!" If only it were that easy. Instead, it becomes a daily struggle to focus on God rather than all the things I have to complain and argue about, allowing Him to become more important. So, that is what I am striving to do! I want to delve deeply into the Bible and grow in my faith in a way I never have before. God has taught me a lot over the past few weeks, and I'm excited to see where 2011 takes me!