New Year's Resolution - Discipleship

It's New Year's Day 2012 - I think I'm like most other people... wanting to make a new start, improve myself, etc. Usually I make a list of resolutions at the beginning of the year... and then that lasts for a few weeks or, if I'm really diligent, a few months. In fact, I believe the only resolution I've ever kept completely is the one I made 2 years ago - to stop drinking soda. Alex and Matthew made the same goal. For me it was because I knew I shouldn't be throwing back that much sugar (I hate diet drinks), Alex was in training for football and soda is a no-no, and Matthew probably just wanted in on the action. We challenged each other. It was like a competition, and none of us would back down. We made it to the end of the year, and we kept going. What a great feeling to have accomplished that.

This year, as I thought about all of the changes I need to make, it became overwhelming! That's right... NEWS FLASH... I'm not perfect. Usually my list is pretty long. One year, I even made a goal in each area of my life - physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual - you get the idea. This year, I've decided that I want to succeed, so I'm making only one goal - I figure anyone (even me) can do one thing really well for a year! As I looked at all of those areas of my life, I decided that the spiritual part of me needs work. BIG time. So, I'm going with Getting Closer To Christ. One person I know picks one word that will describe her year. This year her word is Discipleship. I like that. So, my year will be all about Discipleship. I'm planning to use some of the following to help with my goal...

1. A daily thought from the Book of Mormon. There is a small book, available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book, called "When Ye Shall Receive These Things - Daily Reflections On The Book of Mormon" by Lloyd D. Newell and Robert L. Millet. It has a thought for each day of the year. Once I've read the thought, I'll try to post about it on facebook. Which leads to my second item...

2. Using the internet as a tool of Discipleship. I really enjoy it when my friends share quotes from the prophets on facebook. I'm on the internet all the time... I've got blogs (which I don't update often enough), twitter, facebook, email, etc. Plenty of opportunities there! M. Russell Ballard, in a commencement address at BYU-Hawaii in 2007, said this...

"This is the world of the future, with inventions undreamed of that will come in your lifetime as they have in mine. How will you use these marvelous inventions? More to the point, how will you use them to further the work of the Lord?"

I'm going to try to join the conversation about the church on the internet, and use this amazing missionary tool!

3. I got a book several months ago, called "21 Days Closer To Christ", by Emily Freeman, promising myself that I would use it. I did - for one week. It's such an incredible book! I'd like to use it this year, only instead of using each "day", or chapter, daily, I'll be using it weekly. I just want a little bit longer to focus on each chapter.

4. A few months ago, I read a quote from D. Todd Christopherson that said:

"Obtain a new, inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon, and mark all of the verses that refer to, or teach about, the Savior, His ministry, and His mission. This brings both a deeper witness of Jesus as the Son of God and a fresh appreciation of what He has done and continues to do for us."

I've already got a copy of the Book of Mormon with a blue cover - an inexpensive one - and I've written that quote on the inside cover. I'm excited to try this different way of recognizing Christ in the scriptures.

5. I've never been good at journaling, but at some point last year, I started to keep track of the insights I gain while studying the scriptures. I'll try to continue doing this. Because I was looking specifically for new insights, I found quite a few.

I'm sure there are many more tools that I can, and will, use to become a better disciple of Christ this year. Hopefully, by the end of the year, if I've put in the effort (and I don't forget all about this resolution in 2 months), I'll be more in tune with the Spirit, and much closer to my best friend - Jesus Christ.

Good luck with your new year resolutions!