Reset

Recently I have been having problems with my phone. I have been receiving multiple texts messages from one contact. (My mum - so I can only block her for short periods of time while trying to get this sorted.) The messages come every hour. The first message came a total of over thirty times; the message that followed that only came seventeen times before it was replaced with the most recent message. This one I have received over seventy times to date!

I have tried numerous things, asked my mum to try some things on her phone, been onto my provider and tried some more things, and am now in the process of backing up my phone so that I can do a factory reset. Hopefully this will work. If not, I think I might just start screaming and pulling my hair out before throwing the phone into the nearest skip! (Not really but it's tempting.)

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to take stock of our lives and to have a reset: to look honestly at those things we can - and are willing - to change. We often call them New Year Resolutions, but often times those resolutions are made on the spur of the moment, or under the influence of peer pressure, or in the partying mode, and often with no plans as to how one is going to carry out those resolutions. Hence the jokes about said resolutions hitting the dust by mid-January.

Last night DH and I were listening to a sermon that was basically about New Year Resolutions - but with a twist. It wasn't so much about improving ourselves or our lives in some way but looking at where we may have steered off course in our walk with God, and making the changes to get back on track. It was about prayerfully seeking God first and asking Him to reveal to us what needed to change, rather than the other way around. 

And then he asked some questions, one of which I haven't been able to get out of my head: What are you going to do this year to enjoy God more?

Long-time readers of my blog may remember that when sharing goals for a new year one focus has always been my faith. They would also likely remember that I usually follow a Bible reading plan whereby I read through the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, and Psalms and Proverbs at least twice, over a period of two years.

This year I felt the desire for something deeper - more than just reading. And so for the first time in a long time, I haven't started the year with a new reading plan. Instead, I am slowly working my way through The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. I like this particular online version as it has the verses printed out within each of the statements - which makes it easier to check the reference and follow the line of thinking. There are thirty-two chapters, so I'm imagining that it will take me about half a year - or more - to get through the confession. After that ... well I'm open to God's leading. It may be another reading plan or it may be some other Bible study or something else altogether.

I am also using Spurgeon's Faith's Chequebook [Checkbook] as a daily devotion. I have to confess though, that the writing is so small that I've resorted to using a magnifying glass that magically appeared in my home a while back. With our modern lighting and reading glasses one would think that the font of a book printed quite some time ago would pose no problem - but it does.

Last year I committed to memorising a whole chapter of Ephesians. I was moving along at a good pace until about partway through the year. Although I did manage to memorise quite a number of verses (and I think I can still remember most of what I did commit to memory), I didn't finish the chapter. This year I have decided once again to continue memorising Scripture and have begun with some of the verses that I didn't get to last year. After that, well, I have a whole Bible to choose from and the main difficulty will be deciding which ones I want to memorise first. And this year I am recording the verses in a cute little notebook that I received for Christmas which should make it even easier to stay inspired. (I'm a writer: I get a lot of enjoyment out of fresh new notebooks.)

Which brings me back to the pastor's question: What am I going to do this year to enjoy God more?

It was an interesting question, in that I don't know if I've ever considered it before, particularly in that vein. My initial thoughts were confusing but when I woke this morning, it was as if I had more clarity.

I love music. I rarely play an instrument these days (although I get hankerings to do so more than I actually get to touch one) but I love to listen to others' music. Recently, in our search for a possible new church family, we have had the opportunity to visit and listen to services from other denominations where they regularly sing Psalms as part of their worship to God.

I love this idea, and realised today that this is one way I can enjoy God more. A quick search on Spotify made me realise that this is not outside the realm of possibility. There are numerous Psalms set to music, both with traditional and more modern arrangements. Some adhere closely to Scripture while some are a little more interpretive. This will be an area where I believe I can explore the concept of enjoying God more.

As I was contemplating this I also became aware that enjoying God's creation is another area where I can enjoy God more. DH has often said that the bush is his temple or church as he feels close to God when there. While it is perhaps a lot stronger for DH than it is for me, I know that being out in nature is something that draws my eyes and thoughts to our Creator. 

Since our weekend away with the family, DH and I have been exploring ways that we can make this a less stressful experience for yours truly who struggles with sleeping in a tent. We are considering a number of options, but the idea of being able to get away and experience and enjoy God in nature surrounded by all that He has created has now strengthened my resolve to overcome the reluctance - and panic - I feel when faced with camping out in the "wild".

It may seem like a lot of changes, but in reality I am just tweaking what I have been doing in the past, or introducing something that I already enjoy (music and nature). And, hopefully, I can continue to be open to where God is leading me and the changes that He wants me to make in my life and service to Him.

The discerning viewer may just be able to make out Mount Taranaki/Egmont in the background.