Planning for a New Year

I love the hope and possibility wrapped up in a new year.  One of my favorite things to do in December is spend some time thinking and praying about the coming year and how I might order my life to glorify the Lord better.  As I sat at my computer today to print off a new calendar and a new Bible reading plan, it seemed like it was such a short time ago that I was planning 2010.  The older and busier I become, the faster the years seem to fly.  That fact causes me to desire to be even more diligent with my time.  It was so much easier to plan out a schedule for myself (when it was just me!), but now I have a whole household to manage and five children to direct and disciple.  Every year I have several goals as I plan the new year:

1.  Print off a new calendar for my organizer.  I get these from Donna Young.  I prefer the 2-page calendar, as it gives me more room, and there are also lines for making notes.  I use these lines to jot plans and goals for each month.

2.  Print off a new Bible reading plan.  The past two years I have been printing one for every reader in the family.  My husband also asked me to print one that he uses for our family Bible reading time at breakfast.  This is the website containing printable reading plans that I use.  And just this year, as I was searching for a simple reading plan for a younger child, I found this plan, which I printed for our 7-year-old.  I always ask what each person’s goal for Bible reading is, and this is what I ended up with for 2011:

My plan:  Straight Through the whole Bible!

Morning Family Bible Reading:  The Story of the Bible (A chronologically arranged reading of the story of the Bible.)

3.  Make a new schedule.  Every year I end up making several schedules, as the seasons of our life as a family change.  I already made a wonderful, beautiful, perfect schedule for us, several months ago.  This schedule has everything my husband and I feel would be ideal for our family:  Bible times, family worship, Bible memory, school, sewing, individual time with each child, time alone as a couple.  Now, if I could just get it to work!  I like to have a schedule even though it doesn’t ever work out exactly as it is on the paper.  It gives me a framework for my day, something to aim at.  

I can’t wait to begin a whole new year!

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  

~Ephesians 5:15-17