Meredith Miller

At the beginning of the year, I made a non-resolution to focus on being content in 2012.  The fact is, left to myself, I’ll spend far too much energy developing weight-loss plans in my head, or chastising myself for reading too few books, or trying to keep my house cleaner than it needs to be.  So I ‘resolved’ to put that stuff aside for a while, and let grace come in.

Grace creates margins for our imperfections, both real and imaginary.  It can cover over not only my real sin but my newly formed stretch marks, the ways I am less than my best self and gained more weight this pregnancy than they say I should have.  There’s grace for all of it.

I know that 2013 will be a year of change.  At this point, 2013 will be the year we have a baby we get to keep.  (Unless Riley shows up in the next 13 hours.)  That’s huge on its own, and there are some other changes on the horizon that I’ll share soon.  As things get rolling, I imagine a new theme word will surface, but I’m sticking with no resolutions.

And right now, I have a day ahead to practice being content, even though this kiddo WILLNOTCOMEOUT.

(But I’m fine with that.  Really.  I am. Not impatient at all.)

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Happy New Year to you!  As we continue to pray for justice to roll like a river, may 2013 be a year when you are swept off the shore and into the waters.

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P.S.  Looking for some hope as you head into 2013?  Here are two good reads that I found really encouraging:

• How men in South Africa are working to reduce gender based violence
• On a small non-profit working to train local Christians to be surgeons and serve in impoverished parts of Africa

And if you want some research to back your choice to not make resolutions, here you go:

• Harvard Business Review:  Consider Not Setting Goals in 2013