5 Prayers for the New Year.

It's a new year.  I like new years: they're like new days.  "Fresh with no mistakes in them," as Miss Stacy would say.  Every year I've made a bevy of resolutions to try to better myself in the new year.  "This year, I'll do things differently," I think.  And I'm not different than anyone else: my resolutions rarely make it past June.

This year I've made only real resolution: to be more disciplined.  It's vague, and all the experts say that viable resolutions need to be specific to succeed.  It has no timeline or deadlines; again, experts urge those so that you can see your progress.  However, I really do think it's more likely to happen.  Because even if I create and keep one new habit in the new year, I've kept my resolution.  Cheating?  No.  Making it real and really happen.

I didn't get past the whole year-in-review/dream-for-the-future session I do every New Year's without making some goals, though.  However, I'm keeping them to myself.  I'd rather not publicly face-plant this year, thank you.  Instead, I'm sharing with you the five prayers I'm adopting for the new year.  These are on my heart and will be on my list every morning.

1. Lord, may I be intentionally and wholly your disciple this year.
What this means is that I want to intentionally pursue God, be devoted to following His precepts, to purposefully spend time with Him.  The Bible promises that if you seek, you shall find.  God rewards those who seek Him.  It's is desire that we do indeed seek Him.  And I intend to do that.  I hope to desire what He desires; to mourn what He mourns.  I don't have any allusions that I will suddenly become pious and wonderful and wise.  But if the mirror that is my life reflects a little clearer, my prayer will be answered.

2. Lord, may I train my children in your ways.
My prayer every night before I close my eyes is for my children's salvation.  It is the cry of my heart that my children will love God, know Him, desire to please and follow Him.  I pray they will be His disciples.  A good portion of that will start with me: showing my love for Him, living out a life of discipleship before them, intentionally telling them the Good News and teaching them the character of God.  I will need to train myself so that I can in turn train them.  And to be in consistent prayer for them daily.

3. Lord, give me a love for this neighborhood.
I live in The Box.  It's a designation given to a specific area of my hometown by our police force, known for it's gang activity.  You have to know (especially if you're from my town) that the character of this area should be taken on a block-by-block basis.  My block is actually pretty nice.  Almost all the homes are well-kept and it's quiet.  However, a few blocks over is a park that is gaining a reputation for violence after dark.  It's only been a few weeks since our community was shocked by the shootings of two police men at my neighborhood grocery store.  A councilman claimed this store was safe; a woman on Facebook, who does not live in this area, vehemently disagreed.  I've shopped there often, my husband always goes there after dark, and we've never had a problem.  The people are good and friendly; those who live outside this area have given it a nickname, designating it as the ghetto store.  All of this is to say, my area has a reputation, both earned and spread by rumor from those on the outside.  It's easy to get scared, to feel unsafe.  A woman in our church whom I admire has told me several times that it's no accident that we ended up where we did.  There are times I kind of want to join the middle class flight to the suburbs.  And yet I also feel a fierce desire to defend my neighborhood and to denounce that advice to seek out "nicer" neighborhoods from those outside this area. I don't think that's where God is leading at this time, to leave.  So my prayer is to love this neighborhood.  To love the blocks beyond my own. To be bolder about reaching out (I'm a shy and reclusive person by nature).  To see this area through the eyes of Him who made the people who live here.

*Note: I hadn't really intended to be so open about my neighborhood or my feelings about it.  It really deserves it's own blog post and maybe I'll get around to writing it someday.  For now, just know that this is where I feel we are to be, if for no other reason that I am called to pray.

4. Lord, teach me to love my job.
I don't want to open the can of worms  here on the whole "Do stay-at-home moms work?"  Let's just end the conversation with: yes, we do.  My job right now is to raise and care for my young children and to clean our house.  Though it has it's ups-and-downs, I love the first part of my job.  I love being at home with my kids, and though I know it's going to be very challenging, I'm looking forward to homeschooling and being actively involved in my children's education.  The second part... not so much.  Many days, not at all.  It's no secrete I have no love for cleaning.  It's dirty.  It's gross.  The results are temporary at best.  It's a never ending cycle, and that's probably what I hate the most.  Is that as soon as it's done, it's got to be done again.  Dishes: never-ending.  Laundry: where is the bottom to this pile, anyway??  Bathrooms...  My prayer is that, if I can't learn to love to clean, at least learn to love serving my family by doing it.  I don't believe our house has to be absolutely totally clean for happiness.  If I leave a few crumbs under the couch today, it won't be the end of the world.  However, I recognize that we are more relaxed, more comfortable, more productive as a family if the house is mostly clean and picked-up.  It's my job to serve my family in such a way, and I pray I will learn to love it.

5. Thank You, Lord, for Your great goodness.
I want this year to be a year of gratefulness, intentional gratitude.  My daily prayer will be to thank God for everything He has blessed me with, with every little gift.  I am keeping a gratitude journal (nothing as cool and fun as you might find on Esty, though) and intend to list out my blessings from each day, perhaps even in the spirit of Ann Voskamp over at aholyexperience.com.  I hope to never ask without acknowledging what I have received.