I remember growing up in the late 60's and early 70's and we had a Super 8mm projector like the one shown below. We would sit down in the living room, prop the front of the projector up on some National Geographic magazines and point it at a white wall and watch footage from our family vacations in our Oldsmobile station wagon with simulated wood-grain siding. Me and my brother and sister were making goofy faces at each other and clowning around in all of the movies. At the very end of every movie, for some reason, the bulb would melt a big spot in the film. In my mind's eye, I can still see the melting blob of film and hear the click, click, click of the movie signifying the end before we could get to the projector and stop the melting film. I can still smell the smell of melting film. Weird how you remember the oddest things!
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Anyway, when our kids were born, we had a "compact" VHS movie camera, which is ridiculously huge by today's standards. As we began to watch the video of old Russ' first day on the Planet, it turned into a very emotional time for me for several reasons.
First, we were SO YOUNG! We didn't have the scars (physical and emotional) that we have now that 20 years will put on you. We were oblivious to the hardships that the next few months/years would hit us with (Russ was a very sick little boy for the first year or two of his life. We almost lost him).
Second, seeing old pictures really puts it in perspective how time flies. You only have your kids for a brief period before they are off on their own. Scary really, when you think about what a short time you have to be a parent.
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James 4:14
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
So what can I do to make the most of 2014? I usually try NOT to make New Year's resolutions because many times I don't stick with them. I read a study from the University of Scranton that said that 81% of people who make New Year's resolutions fail to reach them. I don't want to be in that statistic. I also read that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them, so I hope this counts as writing them down. With that being said, here goes:
I like to make 3 goals for the year - one spiritual, one physical, and one mental.
Spiritual Goal: This year I will be more intentional in sharing my faith and putting feet to my faith by being purposeful in living out the words of my Savior, Jesus Christ. In order to deepen my relationship with God, I'll read my Bible and pray daily.
Physical Goal: This year I will be deliberate in engaging in physical activity each and every day - simple stuff like push-ups and sit-ups, but when the days get longer, gardening and physical labor outside each day will do it for me.
Mental Goal: This year I will read at least one book each month.
So while the New Year is full of promise and questions and potential, this year is in God's hands. If the Good Lord's willing, we'll do lots of things. We also have responsibility in this, though. Just this morning I was on my way to work. It is a 50 minute commute that I do every weekday since August 2006. I listen to Christian radio and political talk radio on my drive. I was about 15 minutes into my commute and realized that I was on auto-pilot! I didn't even remember getting on the Interstate. But I had done it so many times that I wasn't thinking. I was just going through the motions. I began to think that that is exactly what will happen in the New Year if I'm not intentional about things. I'll wake up from a daze on December 31, 2014 and wonder where the year went AND wonder why I'm in the same place spiritually, mentally, and physically. This is unacceptable to me and I won't let it happen.
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