Thoughts for the coming year....

Well, my parents are leaving Phoenix tomorrow morning. Connor thought he was just saying good-bye for the night....he didn't realize they were leaving tomorrow so he was upset as we pulled out of Desert Ridge this evening. It's hard for the kids to have grandparents that live so far away...just as they are getting close and doing some "bonding" their time is up. It makes me look back at my childhood differently. It's a reminder to me that God truly blessed me with the time that I had with my grandparents growing up. God has really blessed me throughout my life. It stinks that I usually recognize those blessings after the fact and not always in the "moment". The same goes for God's hand in my life....I never seem to realize it until I am looking back a few months or even years. I wish I had better discernment with regards to that. I wish I could recognize God's prompting and distinguish it from my own personal desires!

On that note, I feel as though I have felt God's prompting recently with a few things in my life. And, I can immediately tell it is not ME but God when I feel the overwhelming content that I so rarely experience. I give ALL the credit to anything I do in my life that is "positive" or "good" or "compassionate" or "caring" or "giving" to God....God's work THROUGH me. It's not me. It's Him! God in me. So, this coming year my goal is to experience that contentment more often...to "hear" God's prompting in my life and to respond as He would have me. I want God to be FIRST in my life and, unfortunately, He hasn't always been. I find lots of things to take that first place ranking in my heart. My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit convicts me every time I let something else take the lead. I need conviction! Big time!!