Happy
New Year!
(Am
I the only one that hears kazoo party horns and visualizes someone throwing
confetti over their own head with that phrase?)
I
just love a new year all full with that calendar fresh feeling! If you will allow me to fly my dork flag for
just a moment, I will share with you one of my favorite Christmas gifts. I simply love the smell, feel, and look of a
freshly minted desk calendar. I don’t
need a fancy one with pictures of babies dressed in vegetables or an
inspirational one that challenges me to think a certain way…I just need that
basic $5.99 black and white desk calendar from Target. There is simply so much order to all those
lovely boxes all lined up – with the date perfectly aligned in each corner and
the type set of all the holidays listed.
Yep – dork flag.
One
of my New Year’s Day traditions is to take down the old calendar and transfer
over the information – right away big decisions must be made - the color coding
system. Birthdays will be listed in
orange this year; school holidays in blue, and after school activities will be
color coded to the child. I might even
get festive and do some art work on each holiday (think drawing a flower on
Mother’s Day or 3 crosses on Easter. That’s
me…living out there… on the edge.)
As
I begin to transfer over all this data, I realize that my print ahead
information listed on last year’s calendar- like birthdays and holidays - are
neat and color coded. I remember grumbling
if I wrote down a wrong name or piece of information – I would find the white
out and correct the mistake to maintain that lovely level of neatness. Fast forward to May (ok…February) and “who
cares” had come to live in my brain and a simple cross out or scratch out
sufficed. All the information that was
added as the weeks and days unfolded was
less about neatness and more about trying to just get it on the calendar so I didn’t
forget what I was supposed to be doing. “Bring
snacks” for a basketball game was scrawled in crayon… Church training was
written using a map pencil… the sharpie came in handy to remind me about a
friend’s birthday party and my eye liner left a note that simply said “help” –
this was not a cry for help…although I am sure at the time it was desperately
needed….it was to remind me to help at my child’s school.
This
yearly calendar project reminds me of Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
9 A man’s heart plans
his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
But the Lord directs his steps.
I
am so thankful for that verse because I sometimes feel the guilt of
planning. Some people cast out
judgement saying that my plans stifle God at work in my life. But this verse gives me such freedom in
truth. God created me…He created me with a love to
make a plan. This scripture of truth
allows freedom to make those plans… as long as I am open and watching for God
to use the proverbial crayon, sharpie, map pencil or eye liner to direct my
steps. Take heart all you planners – I
am for you! Just be open to the places
the LORD may (re)direct your steps! I
would love to hear from you – do you take comfort in making plans? Or do you prefer to leave your calendars
blank and fly by the seat of your pants?
(Those people impress me…and scare me a little…but I know there is
freedom in not having a plan too!)
Happy
New Year Ladies!
