This Is The Year...

There are so many thoughts in my head today. My first one is that, to quote Oprah Winfrey, "This is the year." The year for what? This is the first time I have entered a year with very clear goals in my mind as well as the determination to make them happen. So, this is my year to:
1. Stick strictly to the budget we have formed. Last night I finished reading Dave Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover." I so highly recommend this to others to read. I read it three years ago and thought I would go through and re-read it to motivate Tim and me again. It has worked. He says that people who follow the steps in the book usually go from in-debt to wealthy in an average of 7 years, although it's of course different for everyone. We have no more debt having paid it off this fall, so I always think it shouldn't take us as long. However, being a one income family not making a huge amount...it could very well take seven years. That would put us in 2014 as having a paid for house, Noah's (and whatever other children come along) college education covered, retirement funds covered, investments, and having money to be able to either give, have fun with, and save.
2. Stick with an exercise routine and healthy eating. This is probably the number one, or close to it, resolution in America. However, I don't want a quick fix...I want a lifestyle change. I don't want to lose pounds before attending a wedding like I did last year. I want to exercise because it makes me healthy and I feel good when I do it. I also want to model a lifestyle like this for Noah.
3. Be consistent in daily having my devotional time. This has been going very well. I am working in a great Devotional Journal for moms right now. I also want to read the Bible from start to finish, something I have never done before. So I started with Genesis in January, and I'm now nearing the end of Numbers.
So that's that in terms of this being my year. What was my next thought? Oh, yeah. Friends.
I'm very excited because Saturday night three girl friends and I are going to have a little sleepover. We are going to spend the evening praying with each other, doing some Bible studies, and connecting on a deeper level. We are all strugging with different situations, but each one has the same root...fear. We are going to try to tackle and overcome our obstacles. My mom was telling me about a Scripture she heard recently and I really like what it has to say:
"He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me."
~Psalm 18:16-19
It is so cool to think that God delights in us. So many times I wonder if I am worthy enough. Am I worthy of Tim or Noah's love...am I worthy of God's love? However, He DELIGHTS in me. I am for sure not perfect, but by His grace I bring Him laughter and delight.
Take joy today in knowing that God delights in you...His child.