CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

Hello there!

Does this happen to you at the beginning of each New Year, the need to take a good hard look at yourself and clean up your act?  It really just dawned on me that is exactly what all this New Year's Resolution stuff is about, at least for me anyhow.  Just a bit slow here....half a month into the "New Year" it occurred to me that some of the steps I've been taking in the last few weeks are to clean up my act and to get things more orderly.  

It started with a desire to make a change within, starting with getting back into a daily bible study habit.  I've grown lax over the last....well let's just say I've grown lax in my bible study and really felt the Lord was leading me back into the Word on a regular basis, this time it would be an online daily scripture study called Made For Community.

  Love God Greatly.com  is where you will find this study and although the online groups are closed, you can still get the bible study links to print out and follow along with.  The study started on Monday so you can catch up easily.  I like the way there is a Reading Plan with daily scripture to read with a writing exercise that takes me deeper into the Word.

Not only am I allowing God to do some interior clean up there is the outer clean up too.  Yes, like I said, things have gotten lax around here.  I've never been in the running for Good Housekeeping award (as most of my family and friends can attest to) but it is time to start paying attention to the outer clutter again.  Last year I did rid our home of excess clutter and mind you there was a LOT of clutter to go out the front door, even the hubby was impressed with my clutter purging skills.

  I've tried to be more intentional about the stuff that comes into our space by not buying unnecessary items, truly asking myself if this is necessary and can we live without it in our home.  Surprisingly,  we can live without a LOT of things.....things that clutter up our space.  I'm going on another clutter spree, cleaning out closets and drawers and really asking myself if 1) Have I used this item in the last year? 2) Do I really need it to function each day? 3) Do I really love/like it?   I am going to be ruthless in the process of cleaning out the clutter and happy to be blessing others while doing it.  LOL!  IF you struggle with clutter and lousy housekeeping skills check out FlyLady, she is a super hero of cleaning and de-cluttering HERE.

Speaking of cleaning up and cleaning out, I'm totally re-evaluating the time I spend on social media. Oh pleeezzz.....I hear the groans now.  But it is true, the time spent on social media, text and email on my I-phone and excessive TV watching take up too much of my time.

 Time is valuable and it is a gift. We choose what our time is spent on and how much time is spent on it, what we are willing to give up in order to have that time. Is it worth the time spent? Is it meaningful time spent? Could the time be spent doing something else that matters?   I want my time to have meaning and to matter. Lately, I've felt these things have been distractions to my real life and are not that meaningful to me. SO,  hold your breath and give me a drum roll..... I'm opting out of spending time on social media and less TV watching.  That means I'm giving up the time I spend on those things to make more time for the things I really enjoy: spending time in the Word, time with family and friends, serving in the church and in the community,  reading, art, knitting, sewing and blogging about those activities that make me happy and have meaning in my life.

I hope you are inspired to clear out the clutter and make time for what you love.


Suzy