At the turning of a year, you hear the term “resolution” mentioned one hundred and one times, or more. The most common of them is the intention of “getting in shape.”
As January closes and February approaches, fewer people are crowding the gyms while the lines at the local Starbucks lengthen.
Maybe we’re missing the point of “getting in shape?” Maybe it’s not all about our physical silhouette. And more about the silhouette of our life. And what’s flowing from our hearts. And the words pouring from our mouths.
The silhouette of my life begins with my family, the five of us living in our home together in Texas. We enjoy time together and time apart. We choose love when we remember and forgiveness when we forget. We stumble and then we help each other up. But we forget more than we remember. And we stumble more than we help.
Our lives need shaping.
I am still going to roll my eyes at telemarketers and mutter when I stub my toe. My first response is still human when annoying things interrupt me along the way. But I am deeply curious about the mystery of Christ and what he has in store for me and my family. I want to learn to be a better listener. To accept the challenges that God lies before me, and overcome the shared condition of humanity that is fear. I want to be fully alive as the person, mother, and wife I uniquely am, not the one who others think I ought to be. And I want my endeavors to lead to something meaningful.
As a couple, my husband and I have learned to become more open to change and transformation in ways we have perhaps never been before. There is splendor in the awakening. And now that we’re awake, it’s time to “get in shape.”
One is learning to save breath. There is time for sharing and speaking out. There is reward in learning your own rhythm of listening, and it just so happens that waiting comes first.What are the challenges and blessings for you as you “get in shape?”
I will close with a quote:
As January closes and February approaches, fewer people are crowding the gyms while the lines at the local Starbucks lengthen.
Maybe we’re missing the point of “getting in shape?” Maybe it’s not all about our physical silhouette. And more about the silhouette of our life. And what’s flowing from our hearts. And the words pouring from our mouths.
The silhouette of my life begins with my family, the five of us living in our home together in Texas. We enjoy time together and time apart. We choose love when we remember and forgiveness when we forget. We stumble and then we help each other up. But we forget more than we remember. And we stumble more than we help.
Our lives need shaping.
I am still going to roll my eyes at telemarketers and mutter when I stub my toe. My first response is still human when annoying things interrupt me along the way. But I am deeply curious about the mystery of Christ and what he has in store for me and my family. I want to learn to be a better listener. To accept the challenges that God lies before me, and overcome the shared condition of humanity that is fear. I want to be fully alive as the person, mother, and wife I uniquely am, not the one who others think I ought to be. And I want my endeavors to lead to something meaningful.
As a couple, my husband and I have learned to become more open to change and transformation in ways we have perhaps never been before. There is splendor in the awakening. And now that we’re awake, it’s time to “get in shape.”
One is learning to save breath. There is time for sharing and speaking out. There is reward in learning your own rhythm of listening, and it just so happens that waiting comes first.What are the challenges and blessings for you as you “get in shape?”
I will close with a quote:
“But I want first of all — in fact, as an end to these other desires — to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact — to borrow from the language of the saints — to live ‘in grace’ as much of the time as possible.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
Very nice post! I agree that's not all about the physical aspect but the emotional and spiritual aspect as well. My husband's resolution this year was to be more patient and loving with me. When he told me that mid-January my heart melted. <3
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