Year 4-Day 4: Tabula Rasa

Year 4-Day 4: Today, I am grateful for the blank canvas of a new year and a blank piece of paper.  In Latin..."Tabula Rasa"...a clean slate or a new beginning. 

I adore a clean, white sheet of paper. The possibilities are endless.  Write a story. Draw a picture. Share a recipe. Collect a quote. Oh, the joy! The weight of the paper or the sheerness all add to the pleasure. From handmade paper to vellum and card stock... each one brings it's own unique pleasure to the table. Fresh, blank and waiting for a purpose. 

Since it is a new year. It is time repeat my rules.  They are short and sweet: 

Gratitude Rule #1: Once a year, I get to repeat a gratitude. The goal is something new every day for 365 days... and to magnify the little things that are often overlooked and forgotten. Often, the little things are big things. 

Gratitude Rule #2: I can break rule #1 if a new lesson comes from repeating it.

For the next month or two...I will continue to write the old year on everything I date. Writing 2016 will take sincere effort to write... and type. Eventually, I will correct my ways on my days, but it takes time. This is evidence that change is difficult but not impossible.   

I love the fresh canvas of the "New Year".  Our pastor said yesterday that the tradition of celebrating the new year has been traced back to the Babylonians more than 3000 years ago.  Even then, it felt like a reason to celebrate, when most of their days were dedicated to meeting basic needs.  

Most make some kind of New Year's resolution or goals for the new year.  Very few will truly make big changes, but some will.  

Mine for this year...is to be more present, less busy and more fully engaged.  It is a rat race out there.  I ended this year by letting go of the Christmas card and letter that I love to write and send.  Perhaps I will do one before next Christmas and surprise the people on my list, but for this past season...I let it go..and today, I will chose to not let it feel like a "fail". I am letting it go. 

The other goal...is to focus on "vision". I want to see clearly what the Lord has before me for his day and let Him direct my paths, instead of the other way around.  This will not be easy.This will take constant prayers for guidance.  It will require me to "be still", to "be quiet"...and to "shut my mouth and listen". 

His vision is not always clear...but it is always good. His path is not always easy...but it leads to peace. His intention is goodness and fullness in our days...but the cost is submission.  

We often pray "Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done." Do we really mean it?  I have learned to take the Lord's prayer to heart. It is a "model" prayer, but it is even more. It is a chance to imitate Jesus in prayer. It shows us how to talk to God and deliver our prayers to the throne of his grace. 

In this New Year - the Lord has not changed (he never does). We can make a fresh start. Not just on January first...but each morning as we hit the alarm and the feet hit the floor and to the coffee maker. 

I am reminded that he commands us to "Love Him" and "Love our neighbors"...all of our neighbors. The "Big Ten" summed up in two. He does keep it simple. I tend to complicate it. 

Today, on this first work day of the New Year...how will we spend this precious 24 hours in front of us?  A good night's sleep was a great start. I like this verse from Micah:

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? -Micah 6:8

These instructions are not hard...nor are they simple. I would benefit from memorizing this scripture and writing it often.  If I write the vision on paper...it will help me to write it on my heart and into my behaviors.  

Today, I am grateful for the blank canvas of a new year and a blank piece of paper.  In Latin..."Tabula Rasa"...a clean slate or a new beginning.