My Walk On Role

I’ve never made a conscious, concerted effort to abide by new year’s resolutions.  Honestly, I rarely even try to make any to break. 

Naturally I, with the rest of humanity, evaluate my life at the turn of the new year and hope for improvements, but I’ve never been one to really make a plan and if I did, I definitely would not stick with it. 

I am, however, a believer in forming good habits. When I go grocery shopping, I don’t buy tortilla chips… ok, I try to go to the grocery store and not buy tortilla chips and succeed most of the time.  I do this because I will binge on said tortilla chips and empty a bag in an solitary evening, so as a habit, I don’t buy them.  I don’t make alcohol a part of any sort of routine. I don’t want even the appearance of that as a necessity in my life, so I don’t make a habit of it. I set an alarm to refocus my day at 12:15. Habits. 

I believe learned habits to be of more value than abrupt life changes that seem to shock the system. That's why most diets peak and crash, but healthy habits deliver long lasting benefits. 

I’ve just completed Donald Miller’s Life Plan, as challenged to by my dad at the beginning of the new year.  Skeptical, as usual, I read with a grain of salt in one hand and specs of cynicism in the other prepared to uncover an instantaneous five step "fix all plan". Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a thoughtful approach to life evaluation and strategy in view of our lives as a mere walk-on role in the grand epic of our God, the Hero and Author. 

I was guided through past reflections and Ebenezer milestones, both joyous and tragic, but all meaningful.  I rewrote redemption where I had neglected to see it and saw the theme my life has projected over these quick twenty-six years. I then homed in on five specific areas in my life.  My intention is to live life within these five roles; wife, sister, friend, writer, and mission leader. 

I want to take the next few weeks to dissect my revelations concerning each of these roles, which are all so interwoven within themselves. I'm doing this for two reasons. The first reason is to continue building a habit of writing regularly and the second is for accountability.  When we say things out loud or, worse yet, publish them in writing, we are held to our words. That being said... Hold me to my words as I journey through attempting to play my role and play it well.