Good Morning, 2011!

Good morning 2011!

I can’t believe you have arrived. I thought 2010 was going to be more interesting, but it came and went without as many delights as I had planned. Now, 2011, I would like to know what surprises and delights YOU have in store. Maybe you have no delights. Maybe you will be the hardest year of my life. Who knows? The Lord knows! But can’t you give me a few clues?? A few sneak previews?

Fine, fine, if you signed a contract that prohibits giving sneak peeks, fine.

To tell you the truth, 2011, I really did want to accomplish MORE in 2010. I thought that was a cool number. I wanted to get an official document so the [cool] year’s number could be on there, but I think all I have are receipts, car insurance documents, and paychecks. I was hoping for something more substantial. It would have been nice to get some sort of degree or credential with 2010 on it. Oh well. Guess my opportunity has passed.

Sorry, am I annoying you? Am I talking too much about last year? Okay. What shall WE plan to do? In your year I will be a quarter of a century. That’s pretty strange. It is even stranger to me because I feel as if I haven’t aged for a few years. I mean, I think (I hope) I have gained some maturity, but I don’t feel old(er). (Maybe I am going at such a speed, as compared to those around me, that I am aging at a slower pace! Maybe I am experiencing the theory of relativity!!) Back to the point, turning a quarter of a century is a big deal. What are we going to do about that?

Hey! You better not be laughing at me, 2011! I don’t care if that’s merely a speck of dust in comparison to the number of years the world has been around. This year has to be a year of BIG EVENTS! GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS! ACHIEVING GOALS! (I guess I want to become a new person.)
Generally speaking though, 2011, I don’t like setting New Year’s resolutions. I hope you’re not offended. It’s not that you’re not fun to plan for and to use as motivation, but I never accomplish them and then I just feel like a big, fat failure for not attaining my goal(s).

What?! You think I should try again? You think we could be successful partners? I don’t know. What do you have that the other years didn’t?

Class? You have class?? That’s your recommendation for yourself? Good thing you didn’t have any competition for this “New Year” position. Good thing you were just BORN into the job. (Some guys have it SO easy.)

No, I am not being rude. I just need to have a better reason to make resolutions with you.
No, it’s not that I don’t trust you, per se. It’s more that I don’t trust myself. Yeah, 2011 WOULD be a good year to change all that AND mark it with me adding the 25th year to my life (IF I make it to April…this could be my last year, you know.)

Say! That would have been cool to die in 2010. But if I died in 2011 I would die with a “rounded” age, if you allow for stopping on the fives to be rounding.

Sorry, too morbid? Sorry. (You can’t deny that it’s a possibility though. It could happen.)

All right, so 2011, you have persuaded me. I guess I will make some resolutions. But I only have big, general ideas. I don’t have detailed particulars. For instance: last year I prayed that the Lord would make me love Him with my whole being. WOW! He grew me in that!! I love Him more NOW (much more) than I did at the beginning of last year. Last year I also asked Him that my heart would sorrow for souls. My heart has been sorrowing, 2011, more and more (it would seem) with each passing day.

What shall I ask of Him THIS year? – That I would see my sin more clearly, hate it more fervently, and repent (put on righteousness) with greater speed. I want to be holier this year. (No, 2011, not holier than thou.) I just want to pursue holiness BECAUSE I love Him.
I want to walk in the good works that He has set before me.
I want to entrust my dreams to Him and wait for Him to give me whatever dreams He wants me to have. (I really hope He will give me some of the dreams that I have dreamed rather than making me dream new ones, but I will choose to take content what He will send.)
I want to reflect Him more and myself less. (That will take some definite refining.)
I do want my love for Him to grow. I want to love Him more with more of me.
I also would like to accomplish tasks. Things I have been talking about for years, I want to do. But, I don’t really know what that means. I think it will mean (yes…typical, typical…) exercising (we’ll start with an acceptably easy goal,) 3 days a week. (I really mean 5, but I don’t know I can keep that for the WHOLE year.)
I think I should also get my passport. Why not, right? There’s nothing wrong in being ready. (When the Lord says, “GO!” I can just grab up my passport with my backpack and VAMOOS!)

OH! 2011, does this mean we will have ADVENTURES together?! Oh PLEASE?! THAT would be delightful and that would make you a better year than 2010 could ever be, (even if 10 IS half of 20).

HEY! Maybe I’ll also learn Spanish, take art lessons, cake-decorating lessons, travel the East Coast, start volunteering in the community, get more involved at church, make new friends, take dance lessons, learn pottery…
What? That’s too much? You say I should just see what happens?? I thought we were going to make RESOLUTIONS! …Oh yeah, stick with smaller plans so you can accomplish them. Good advice, 2011! Look, you’re ALREADY being more helpful than 2010. Thanks.

Well, thanks for chatting, 2011. I guess we’ll be seeing each other…every day for the next 365 days, (yes, I am counting today as a day).

Remind us of the God Who Reigns on High.
May the Lord humble us. May the Lord teach us to number our days.
May we be quick to serve Him, follow Him, worship Him, live for Him, love Him, and manifest His fullness to all.

Yours Respectfully,
Alicia A. Martin