New Year, New Goals

This year I will:

  • Write one solid parenting article each month.
  • Submit one mini-romance monthly (sigh) to Woman’s World (at $1,000 per, I can deal with the fluff).
  • Write two more Edna and Gertie novellas.
  • Read at least one craft book (writing, not crochet).
  • Learn more about marketing.
  • Attend at least one writing conference.

What are your goals for the new year? Notice I didn’t make a weight loss goal. There are still cookies in the house. But I did sign up for Fresh 20 and we’re eating a ton of veggies and lighter, tastier meals. And we do hit the gym several times a week. My tennis game runs me around the court. I’m still fat, but at least I’m in motion.

My goals, other than the writing ones above, will focus on strengthening my inner being. My innards have taken a hit these past several years. I’ve suffered more than usual the knowledge that I am not a good fit for evangelical Christianity. It’s always been true, but the political and social climate of our nation have served to intensify the clarity of my disconnects with some basic stances the evangelical world holds dear. I am the odd duck in the pew.

Do I believe in God? Absolutely. Do I love Jesus and what He taught when on earth? I do. Do I believe “the Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it?” Not so much. Literal interpretations of scripture have the tendency to prove what the interpreter wants them to mean. Things like women can’t serve in leadership, women sinned first, thus leaving them in second class status, those in the minority gender-wise are not worthy of God, the use of force is the way to solve problems, and the list goes on.

What do I believe and why?

I know my own take on scripture is subject to error. But this year I want to get back to digging in and spending time letting God teach me the way He wants me to live and interact with my world. Authentic, day by day, real-life stuff. When I do that I find my true self and I rest easier in the skin He gave me.

Being different isn’t for the faint of heart. But it pushes me to think and process and not give up on my relationship with God. I know He isn’t giving up on me.

Our struggles have a purpose. The Word promises God will use everything in our lives for good. He can take our struggles, our pain, and our questions and build us from the inside out. Inner strength and conviction, that’s my goal for 2017.