Woman I Want To Be

My devotional calendar said the other day said, "As a wake-up call to the seriousness of daily life and to find fresh urgency about your walk with the Lord, describe the woman you want to be spiritually in one year.  Let your answer put wings on your dreams."  I flip over to the following day and it states, "Describe the woman you want to be spiritually ten years from now..." 

I've always heard about writing your eulogy, describing the person you want to become - then become that person.  Now I'm not going to sit and write my eulogy.  That would be weird.  I will, however, take the advice from my calendar and describe the person I want to become.  Now I'm not sure about the whole one year or ten year mark, but here it goes.

I want to continue to draw closer to God.  I want to be so submerged within Him (or Him in me) that others know instantly Whom I serve and what I'm about.  I want others to have a hard time telling where I end and He begins.

I want to gain control over my frustrations.  No injustice, no attitude or rude comment justifies resentment or retribution.  I want control over my words and actions and I want them to exemplify grace and integrity.  I want my heart to showcase God and I want my mouth and body to reflect that.  Instead of fussing at someone for the aggregation they may have caused, I will pray for them and be quick to find an amiable solution.

I will refuse to be pessimistic.  Every problem will be an opportunity to see God's work.  I will not grumble or complain.  Instead, I will look for the brighter side of things - ways to see, worship and praise God.  I will face obstacles with courage and faith.  I will trust God's timing.

I will see others the way God sees them.  I will reach out to others without reservation.  If I see a need, I will it.  I will have a servant's heart.

I will be honest and will speak the truth without hesitation  I will keep my promises.  I refuse to be tempted by things of this world.  I will not let things that will pass away tarnish what is eternal.  

I will no longer waste my time worrying about what's to come.  Instead, I trust God for everything.  I will not pity my situation, no matter what is to come.  Instead, I will thank and praise God for what I have.

I will study the Word every chance I get on a daily basis.  I will be smart and knowledgeable.  I will be wise and sensible, taking care of the things in which God has entrusted to me.

I will be the woman that others look to for wisdom and leadership.  I will be decisive and act upon God's calling in my life.

I will be generous.  I will be humble.  I will be quick to forgive and quick to forgive others.  I will look out for the well-being of others. I will speak eloquently and tactfully with a knowledge of God.

(And if any of you know me, you know I've got some work to do!)

Today I flip over the calendar it says, "You determine some elements of the heart.  You decide what you will or will not do, whether you will or will not grow.  You also decide the rate at which you will grow - the hit-and-miss rate, the measles rate (a sudden rash here and there), the 5-minute-a-day rate, or the 30-minute-a-day rate.  You decide if you want to be a mushroom - which appears for a night and shrivels away at the first hint of wind or heat - or an oak tree, which lasts and lasts and lasts, becoming stronger and mightier with each passing year.

In my senior year of high school I wrote a poem entitled, "I Am A Mighty Oak."  Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the poem and probably couldn't not even begin to recite it!  But I determined over ten years ago (gulp!) to be a mighty oak and that's what I'm going to be!