New Year, no promises

Yes it's a new year and if I refer back to my last year's resolution post I will undoubtedly be depressed and will cancel this blog altogether. So I won't look at what I haven't done but at what I am going to do. I just needed a little justification to get started.

I finished reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller just before New Year's Eve. It started off slow but I like Miller's style of writing so i was enticed to keep reading. In fact the first half of the book left me wondering what this guy was even writing about. Looking back, the entire book came full circle in describing a journey, or rather, a story. A wonderful piece of work in and of itself. I admire that greatly.

The second half of the book was captivating and left me wondering if I could ever have adventures like that. Some of the stories seemed unbelievable. Some were gut-wrenching. Some left me angry at myself and those whom I've felt abandoned by. All of them though left me asking myself what kind of stories I was partaking in.

After watching The Blindside I felt thankful that God has given me a heart to love and serve others. I strive to do that in everything that I do. I recently evaluated the activities that I'm involved in and, as humbly as I can say it, I feel like service is one of my greatest gifts. I love what I'm able to do, but I want to do more, for people, and for the world. I don't even want to be known for it but if I can improve how students love Jesus, their parents and their friends on a global scale then I've got something. If I can encourage young girls to dance with excellence and use the art of movement for good and to overcome the stigma of teen image, then great. If I can make people feel beautiful by giving them just a little bit of hope and encouragement through The Hope Portrait, then wow, what an honor it will be to serve God by serving his people.

More than anything, through The Blindside and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years I've realized that people are what matter and that there are people in need. Miller talks about going on "practice stories" and even though at the end of the day I can barely make it to bed, I intend on going on even more "practice stories" this year. Big things with big dreams and big expectations. Not for more notches on my belt, or pats on the back, or even a "well done good and faithful servant" in heaven, but for Jesus and for his people.