five.

At my church, [the sound church], we are doing a series called "five." The point of the series "five" is to pick five things that you do everyday that you want to improve or start doing. It is kind of like a New Years resolution except it is not essentially a long term goal. They are things that you want to do daily. Anyway, I have done some careful thinking about what my list of "five" would be, and I have ultimately come up with this:

1. Work out. So you had to know this was coming. No list of goals or resolutions would be complete without "work out" or "get fit." My reasoning for this daily goal was partly selfish in that I really just want to work out to look and feel better, but I also know that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I want to treat it that way by eating right and exercising. Even if it isn't much, I just want to do some type of exercise daily.

2. Positivity. It is such an attractive quality in a person. People are drawn to those who are positive about life. Most people desire to surround themselves with people whose positivity builds them up. That is why I am determined to be more positive in my thinking everyday. That way, my positive thinking will transfer to positive actions and words. And eventually become a habit that cannot be broken. I want to look at each person I come in contact with and first think of positive and good things about them. I do not want to be judgmental, but instead look for the good in people, situations, and myself.

3. Assertion. Instead of just waiting for people to plan things, I want to take initiative and plan things. Instead of waiting around for my friends to call me, I want to call them just to see how they are doing. I want to smile and say hi to people first even if I don't know them, instead of waiting on others to greet me. I want to speak up and be more outgoing.

4. Trust. Worry is the opposite of trust and faith. I want to trust God more. I want to place my worries and fears in His hands daily. When I start to worry or get anxiety over something, I want to remind myself that the Creator of the Universe is holding me, and I can trust in Him because He has a plan for me. And when I begin to worry about even the small things in life, I want to remind myself that the troubles I am going through are only momentary. I want to remind myself that one day I will be sitting in the presence of God, released from all earthly worries and pain forever and ever.

5. God's Word. All of my other "resolutions" or "five" cannot be accomplished without the foundation of God's Word. The reading of the Bible will teach me how to think positively, trust, be confident, and even how to discipline myself to work out. It presents the benefits of these things and helps in accomplishing them. I want to read the Bible at least once every day to learn and allow God to speak into my life.

So there you have it. That is my list of "five." I intend on trying my very hardest to do these things every single day! Prayer would be appreciated (especially for the working out part).  :P