Asking Myself Questions

All over the blogosphere, people are making resolutions, plans, and otherwise evaluating their lives. A new year has begun, so why not? Well, personally ... I don't make New Year's resolutions. They've never interested me. I loathe personal disappointment, and Adam will tell you that the biggest thing I fear is regret. Oh yes. I avoid failing and regretting the attempt later. I'm not a risk-taker. If I take a risk, you can be sure it's because God pushed me over the cliff's edge. 

But one blogger had a series of questions that I did find interesting. I've picked out some of her twenty questions. I've had such an upheaving kind of year, so much chaos, change, leavings and goings, losings and gettings. Here are the ones I liked:

What was the best thing that happened this past year?
What was the most challenging thing that happened?
What unexpected joy came your way this past year?
What unexpected obstacle?
What were the best books you read this year?
What was the biggest personal change that happened in you this past year?
What was the most enjoyable part of your work?
What was the most challenging part of your work?
What was the single biggest time-waster in your life this past year?
How did you use your time wisely this past year?

Asking these forces me to look back over the previous year and demand some sort of order from it. Rather than a jumble, I must sort through the mess and find the gems there. What is the single best thing in my year? What unexpected joy came my way? Did I change this past year? What horrifying obstacles did we surmount? How am I wasting my time? ((Sigh))

I need to sit and have a pow-wow with these questions, yes, I do.

If you check out the same link above, you'll see she has questions also for the coming year. They seem geared to a younger woman. But there are a few topics there that cry out for attention in my life. Vacations. We don't take them. We never have the money, or if we do, we don't have the time. Adam and I really must start taking at least a little time away for our anniversary. We've kind of given that up, told ourselves, "next year." Living space -- ouch! That one hurt! No, our living situation is not at all suitable to our family, at least when our college kids are home four months out of the year. It's simply impossible to house six full-sized people in a 2-bedroom house, in our culture. Before this summer, I really hope something will change, so I don't have to wrestle with this again. 

And relationships -- the blogger asks what relationships are uplifting and helpful to me, what friendships are godly. She asks are there damaging relationships, ones that are tearing me down emotionally, spiritually. Very important to look at these matters occasionally before they get out of hand.  Have you asked any of these questions recently? Do you need to?

I may address some of those niggling questions in a post soon.