Strength and Dignity and Laughing

I've made resolutions for way more years than I can remember. To be honest - I don't make resolutions anymore. I do still make plans. And set goals. Sticking with the 'be honest' thing, I don't succeed at all of them, or even most of them, but I do hit some. That keeps me coming back for more.

This year I heard, just a few days before January 1, of something called Power Sheets, by Lara Casey. Likely many of you have already heard of them, and her. I was able to put in a quick order and the 2017 planner arrived on my doorstep, perfectly enough, on December 31.

Something Laura uses heavily in her planner, which I've been doing for at least the past five years, is to come up with a word (or phrase) that will define the upcoming year. My word this year is STRONG. One morning while I was walking Lily it seemed to pop through, very clearly, that was the direction I need to go this year.

So I'm taking a verse from the too-much-ignored (in my opinion) Proverbs 31 woman, "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and laughs without fear of the future. Prov. 31:25.

So strength (or strong) - in four areas: spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.

I'm working out, in my Powersheets and my journal what exactly needs to happen in those four areas. How do I get stronger? Getting stronger physically generally involves lifting weights in repetition. So I'm thinking / wondering if that train of thought follows through the other three areas.

A couple of summers ago, after a few difficult events, I felt mentally and emotionally spent. It left me wondering if I could have done something to be better prepared? Could I have gotten stronger mentally or emotionally ahead of time, and how do those two areas tie into being spiritually and physically strong? Surely it all goes together!

Would that mean that by going through a nasty divorce, or losing a child or spouse, one would get stronger emotionally or mentally by going through such a tough time? Do I have to have a devastating event and question God's very existence to become spiritually stronger? Or can work be done ahead of time to steel oneself up for the onslaughts of life that inevitably come?

Hmmmm...... that's what I'm pondering.

Hmmmm...... does anyone else think like this? Surely it isn't just me?

I took an EQ test. Has everyone else heard about this too? Our son is doing his doctorate work on EQ and leadership and a bunch of other stuff I don't understand, but I became aware EQ exists, and whether we have a high or low EQ can make a huge difference in how we live our lives. And EQ, unlike IQ, can be increased. EQ, by the way, is emotional quotient. So maybe there's something there in becoming stronger emotionally, or at least growing up.

So far the Powersheets seem like a great way to work through living intentionally in the year ahead. Looking at what worked, what didn't. What needs to be left behind, added on, etc. At January 4, I'm still working on my plan, but I'm getting there bit by bit. The plan, so far, is to get stronger in 2017 - that includes my core, arms and legs. It also includes those parts nobody but me and God can see.

Like most of the rest of us, I'd like to shed a few pounds, read a bunch of books, call friends and family more often. I want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, person. Heck, I'd like to be a better dog-owner! I'd like to be more organized, have a cleaner house and tend our finances better, and I'll likely work toward some of that too. But getting STRONG - that's something that seems to me a goal worth pursuing, at least for 2017.

I'll let you know how it goes.