Making New Years Resolutions seems so futile. Broken commitments within days... (ya know, exercise plans, diet plans .. yada yada yada..)
Instead of thinking about "Resolutions for the year" I decided to just think about projects I want to take on. One of my projects is working in the yard. Well, I love beautiful well manicured garden. So, I started by wanting to educate myself on Roses. I have many rose bushes and was curious about how to care for them. Don't misunderstand, I am blessed to have a gardener who comes once a week.
And a fabulous landscaper. So my projects are all about doing the fun stuff.
However, I googled up "Roses" and found out that January is the time to prune the rose bushes! This is important if you want healthy beautiful healthy roses.
Seriously, all this thinking was really just a distraction to avoid making up list of New Years Resolution ... so discouraged from never keeping my Resolutions! For heaven sakes, my gardener takes care of the plants.
Anyway, what I discovered... there is an amazing parallel between January's New Years Resolutions and taking care of Roses.
January 1st provides a fresh start. making "New Year Resolutions" Because
January is the time we want to get a "fresh" start.
The history of New Years Resolution is fascinating to me: http://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions
Personally, it really does begins by our examining our life first. There is no room for "new commitments" until we ... Prune ourselves! Improvement and growth is stifled and inhibited when blocked by poor habits and emotional baggage. My blog is dedicated to a balanced life. Spiritually, Physically and Mentally. When these are all tended to we become all that God Created us to be.. in His image.
Ok, back to the Roses.... JANUARY is the time for tending to Rose bushes. It is the time to trim away dead canes, Prune Back canes going the wrong direction! There is a word to describe how these two events (New Years Resolutions and pruning rose bushes) relate... just can't think of it right now.
COMPARISON OF OUR LIVES AND A ROSE BUSH
Pruning Rose Bushes each January:
- 1. Trim away the leaves
- 2. Cut down all of the horizontal canes that are going in towards the center of the bush or crossing other canes You want to open up the center! Cut way DEAD canes. You can tell if its dead by cutting and if green it's good. If it's brown it dead or diseased.
- 3. Cut back your vertical canes to an outward facing bud. Angle the cut above the bud
- 4. Cut on a 45 degree angle away from the bud
Remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.
Preparing for the New Year - Self Awareness and Commitment to :
- Cut out the doing things that are unproductive (surfing the web & an unhealthy attachment to FB)
- Break off the unhealthy habits that weigh us down
- Throw away the baggage of emotional disappointments, un-forgiveness, resentments, etc
- Give away! Our Homes are a refection of who we are... so time to PURGE Closets, Garage etc
Saying all that... the way to successful New Years Resolutions begins with PURGING and PRUNING ourselves. This allows room for new habits and life style changes.
This, I truly believes takes being vulnerable.... seeing ourselves through the word of God. Identifying what needs pruning, chopping, cutting, trimming..... in our life. A need to be painfully honest. There are times when we are in such denial or we occupy ourselves with finding false in others so we can avoid seeing our own false. Hummmmm
Plato's quote, "An unexamined life is not worth living"
Being TRUE TO ONESELF opens up ones heart and mind to fulfill what God purposed and planed.
This must be done with caution ! Using the word of God to prune ourselves!
Lives are fragile.. Handle with care ... refer to the owners manual (The Bible)
Lives are fragile.. Handle with care ... refer to the owners manual (The Bible)
Again, use the word of God to see the
beautiful fantastic design of who you in Him and go
GO PRUNE YOURSELF !
1/4/18 Note Entry: Enjoying this blog entry.... good word to myself.
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