The Year of the Dry Erase Board

What I like about the new year is the fresh start to each year. The first week of 2016 has been a week of personal reflection.

I began to think of the previous year as dry erase board. I would take a long look at the past year, wipe the board clean and begin again.

What would your dry erase board show?

Would you be proud? Would you be embarrassed? Would you want to do better?

I can answer yes to every one of those questions. If I had to stand before a crowd and list off the things on my board, it would be a awkward mix of the good, the bad and the ugly.

To say the good out loud would not bother me one bit but to say the bad and ugly too? I don't know if I could read it in front of a crowd.

You could also think of your year as a reality show. Would you want the cameras and audio to see and capture every minute of the day to be televised for the world to see? It's a frightening thought.

Did I gossip, curse, snicker, tell little white lies, sin, snap at my kids and what about those things that were unintentional? Would I be able to confess it all to a group of peers or for the world to see?

What about people who commit big crimes? Would they be able to honestly say out loud what they did?

Wow this is a true slap in the face dose of reality.

Is what we say in do in public the same thing that we say and do behind closed doors for only God to see?

As I began this new year, it was a time to take a long hard look in the mirror. Did I like what I saw? I'm not talking about my physical appearance. I'm talking beneath the surface to what was inside. Nope. I did not like what I saw at all. There is much room for improvement.

Part of my improvement began a few weeks ago when I was running. Sometimes it is a therapy session between me and the open space.

I can do an ugly cry run. I mean full out sobbing and just getting it all out. I always hope that no one sees or hears me because I'm afraid they will think I am running from something terrible.

Actually, I am running from something terrible. It may be a terrible choice I've made, a terrible day at work, a terrible day as a mom or just an overwhelming, terrible emotion in general.

One day in my ugly cry run, I decided it was a good time to pray. So I ran and I prayed. The next time I prayed for the same thing over and over. The next time I prayed for specific people on our prayer list.

Then I decided to pray for the houses I ran by. I know some people in the neighborhood personally so it was easy to pray specific prayer for them. Those I didn't know were just simply blessed. No matter if I knew them or not, I knew that this day they would receive a prayer they never knew about.

It then evolved into driving. Praying for the cars and people I passed. Praying for homes and businesses along the route.

I'm not saying I do it every time I'm running or driving but it does happen from time to time. Most often, it's when I have other people or situations on my mind.

Think of how many people can be blessed during they year by one simple prayer on any given day!

This year I want my dry erase board to show things I am proud of. At the end of 2016, I want to hesitate before I wipe off the imaginary board. I want to look at it and be able to read out loud my year without hesitation.

I can say that this way of thinking has definitely taught me to really think about the way I live a little closer. Are my words filled with kindness? Do they come from the heart? I pray that in 2016, I can answer yes every single day.

I want this year to be filled with the good not the bad or the ugly. Prayer, praise and thanks is what I want to flood our communities. To heal the broken and uplift the fallen.

Will you be able to read off your year? If not, will you be able to make the improvements necessary to make 2016 a year you will be proud of? Get out your imaginary boards and start working.

Think before you make a decision. Think before you speak. Think before you gossip, Think before you're not honest. Think before you yell at your kids. Is what you are about to do something that the world could see and hear? Would it embarrass you?

I am so thankful for you readers. You keep me inspired enough to continue writing. May your 2016 be your own new beginning.

Galatians 6:7-10
Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.