Week One: A Reflection and Time to Rejoice!

Saving money, calories, and time in 2009 has been a coaching series designed to encourage each of us to be more aware of what we fill our lives with.

Some of us, at the beginning of our series, might have (1) struggled to fill our lives with material things to make us feel more important to ourselves and others, or (2) eaten food to comfort us when we're feeling hurt or empty, or (3) wrestled with ourselves to be timely or productive, somehow wasting away precious minutes.

I believe that the first step in changing our lives is awareness. After awareness comes the step of admission--to acknowledge that we need help to save money, calories, or time. (So many of you have done that over the course of this year through your postings on the blog.) Though the admission step is humbling, it is also releases shame and guilt from our lives and allows us to put the past behind us (seeing how destructive it has been), no longer admiring or wanting those things that have ultimately kept us from being successful businesspersons, faithful partners or calm parents, and spirit-led children of God. When we're aware of our weaknesses, willing to admit that we have a problem and need help, we CAN CHANGE with an action plan. This is where your dreams turn into goals because you've given yourself specific deadlines. (Each week we've considered how we would save (or spend) money, count our calories (because they matter), and spend (or give) our time to people and projects. Finally, we can celebrate that we have connected weekly as accountability partners, knowing it is the only way to sustain change.

Now, as we come to this week of the year--when we celebrate the reason for this season--the birth of Jesus, son of God who came to earth to take away the sins of the world, we realize that we have been given a second, third, fourth, or fiftieth chance to start over. We have been given--through the person of Jesus Christ--the power to change, the passion to change, and the purpose to change.

God loves you--just the way you are and the way (and who) you are becoming.

God need you--to be His storytellers, the witnesses of His love to all who are searching for Him.

God wants you--He chose you to be His. He sent His beloved son to earth as a baby who grew to be man who would die for you and me.

Now is the time to stop chasing, stop wishing and wanting and simply worship Him.

This is the day and the week to bow down on your knees and with all sincerity tell Him that you love Him, need Him, and want Him. Dallas Willard, author of Hearing God said, "God wants to be wanted."

Take this challenge and I believe that the last few days of this year will be the best days of your life!