I’m rubbish at resolutions but not bad at habits. I think it may be the chaos of New Year, but in general I’m more of a habit-maker over time step-by-step, than start of the year resolving a major overhaul. Knowing this doesn’t prevent me from making New Year’s Resolutions with the best of them: read more, exercise more, take time to enjoy life, etc.
A lot of time I find my resolutions empty words, because they are what I think I should be doing, rather than changes I NEED. A friend a few years back introduced me to a more mindful contemplative practice from one year to the next: Hello/Goodbye. For the last few weeks (really days) of 2018, I’ve been pondering all that has happened in the year. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, all being remembered and pondered. For my nostalgia streak, I love remembering, but I also love seeing the seeds of beginnings and markers of endings woven into every day and mundane occurrences. Here is where the fun begins as the year turns, I am considering what I’m being invited to say Hello to in 2019 and what I’m needing to let go of, say Goodbye to.
Opening my heart to habits that need adjusting, make the experiments I challenge myself to attempt realistic. I’m not attempting to change things in one fell swoop come the 1st January. I see the journey I’m already on and decide a next right step to where I think I may be going, whether that is a change of direction or just another step toward a goal.
In the Bible, these words of encouragement are written: ‘I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you…’ (2 Timothy 1: 6). Each of us has a gifting for life. I find one of the greatest challenges is to live into that gift, to trust who I am can change the world for the better if I just become better at being me, step by step. The practice of Hello/Goodbye at the transition of the year, and other life milestones, guides me to form the habits that are natural and experiment with things that push me to my limits. So here’s to another step on the journey of life, knowing more of who God has created me to be, here and now. May you be blessed on your journey, too. Blessings & Peace, Ellen
Messy Church Upcoming Dates
3rd February 2019, 3- 5 pm (location TBC, watch for posters)
17th March 2019, 3-5 pm
Rev. Ellen Larson Davidson
Minister,
Kippen linked with Norrieston
Parishes – Church of Scotland
Registered Charities: (Kippen) SC004286 & (Norrieston) SC028719
The Manse, Main Street
Kippen, Stirling FK8 3DN
elarsondavidson@churchofscotland.org.uk
01786871249 / 07412578997
The Wee Vine 