Gym memberships are up and so is attendance. Fewer people are going out for lunch or if they do, they do what happened with our staff last week when we all went to lunch: every gets a salad. More people are rising early and going to bed on time. More people are drinking water. More "Christians" are reading their Bible and attending church.
What's going on?
It's a New Year! We tend to do that when a new year comes along. We make all kinds of commitments, resolutions, and determinations about all kinds of habits, behaviors, and tendencies on our life. We want to get in shape, grow in our character, re-assess our priorities, and just generally be a better person.
So why is it that the manager of the gym will tell you that next month attendance will drop off dramatically? Why will we start eating out again? Why will we go back to burgers and fries? Why will our Bible get lost and gather dust again?
Maybe we just bite off more than we can chew. Maybe we need to take smaller bites as we attempt to get our life in order. I was talking with a friend of mine last week and he told me that is just what he has done. He only works on one thing a year. Only one area of his life in which he really wants to see positive change. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with so much to try and do, he focuses all of his energy on one thing in which he can successfully bring about the change he desires.
So that's my plan this year. I will focus on just one thing. One area of my life in which I want to see positive change so that I can become more of who God desires me to be. What area, you ask? I am going to become the servant God wants me to be. My focus this year is serving. Period. I am going to develop that area of my life so that it becomes my lifestyle and not just a part of my "ministry," my job, or my habits. I want it to be who I am.
I have jokingly told people that my name, Pruitt, means "servant" in the original Greek. My goal this year is to make my name synonymous with serving. When people think about me, I want them to think "servant." In my ministry, my leisure time, and even my home, Doug will serve. Not for my glory, but for God. I want to "show God's love in practical ways by serving others."
Happy New Year of Serving.
