Every New Year’s Eve as a teenager/young adult found me alone, usually babysitting. And with a journal or fresh notebook and pen in hand.
I would set goals for myself.
And they would quickly be forgotten as the New Year swept in.
Just yesterday, I resurrected the habit of writing down my goals.
I came up with one.
No Kindle purchases.
I would use a free library app and Kindle Unlimited and do all of my reading that way.
Last night I got swept up in a series.
This morning I paid for and downloaded a Kindle book.
Chagrin.
It seems I can’t keep up with the simplest goal.
No self control?
Too high of expectations?
Impractical?
Impossible?
Maybe all of the above?
I love to read.
I don’t own a television.Or use a streaming service. By choice. There are so very few things I like to watch. And my attention span doesn’t hold for a two-hour movie.
So I read.
On my phone. On my Kindle app.
And read.
Oh, and for entertainment?
I read.
God has blessed this world with wonderful authors. Authors of inspirational romance and secular romance. Sometimes the same authors write both.
I like a variety of genres, but my favorite is also the genre I write in.
I write mostly Christian fiction, but I have also written a couple of sweet romances also.
Once upon a time, I had 70 story ideas in my head.
I have written 13 complete novels.
And two novellas.
I still have many stories and characters inside my head.
In 2022, I didn’t write any fiction. Instead, I decided to dedicate 2022 to what God wanted me to write.
That seemed to be focused on children’s church curriculum.
It was an amazing year. So many blessings and good things came of those efforts.
Now that 2023 has begun, I want to return to my fiction-writing roots.
Like my goal of not purchasing Kindle books, I am not sure how much fiction writing I will get done.
But I’d like to think I will stick with it more than 4 hours, which is how long after midnight that I waited before purchasing a Kindle book, thereby breaking my one and only New Year’s Resolution.
As this new day, new week and new year begin, I’m not making any promises
to myself, or to my readers, or even to God.
Instead, I will meditate on God’s promises to me.
The word “Promise” is recorded over 200 times in the Bible. That makes it pretty clear that promises are important to God.
God kept his promises to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob, to Joseph, Moses and all of the Israelites. They settled in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.
God promised the Israelites that He would never leave them nor forsake them.
What are some other promises God has made to us?
Let’s look at Jesus’ words in the New Testament:
The promise of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit in our hearts:
“If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth.” John 14:15-16
The promise of heaven:
“There are many homes up in heaven where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am.” John 14:2-3
The promise of peace:
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27
The promise that Jesus will return to earth one day:
“Remember what I told you—I am going away, but I will come back to you again.” John 14:28
Carol Underhill 