It is 2019! Can you believe that it has been 20 years since 1999 and we were all so worried about Y2K and the world coming to an end because of the turn of the century? Well we all lived and the world didn't come to an end and here we are now 20 years older. A lot has changed since then but really I feel like the same person. Yeah I have more life experiences now but really I don't think I am any different.
Last year, 2018, was a good year. We had a lot of fun going on trips, being with family, accomplishing goals, and continuing to plug along. We were all in good health, thankfully, and we all grew and learned a little more about life and other things.
I am sure this year will be another good year. We have not really thought about any big New Year resolutions yet but I am sure we will. My goals this year are really always the same or similar goals I have every year. I just want to improve on my attitude and learn as much as I can.
This Sunday, the youth speaker in Sacrament Meeting talked about goals and said that the typical New Year goals people have are similar to the goals Christ had for his development. She read the scripture in Luke 2:52 that says, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Typically goals are educational, physical, spiritual, or social. Christ improved and increased in all of these aspects of life. If we want to follow His example, we should try to improve in these areas as well. I had never thought about that before. But it is true that those areas are usually the areas I always want to improve on.
So this year, my goals are as follows: Educational: Read 20 books this year. Included in those will be non-fiction as well as some faith based church books. Physical: Continue to run and eat healthier. I would like to run another half marathon for sure and possibly another marathon.Cut back on sugars and increase the veggies. Spiritual: Keep up with the Come Follow Me scripture reading each week. Read the New Testament. Social: Be more aware of the needs of others and act on those promptings.
These seem really do-able, I just need to do them! Probably the hardest part will be cutting out the sugar and acting on promptings to help others. So lets do it!
There have been a lot of changes in the church lately that have kind of influenced these goals. At General Conference in October, the First Presidency and the 12 Apostles announced that there would be some major changes in the church. The church would no longer be a church based learning environment. It would now be a home-based, church supported, religion. They really emphasized that the gospel and scripture learning needs to be done in the home. Parents are to be responsible for teaching their children and improving their own testimony as well. They also encouraged more time spent at home with our families. Because of this shift, church blocks on Sunday have changed significantly. Church is no longer three hours long; it is now two hours long. Crazy right? Sacrament meeting is still every week but Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society classes alternate every other week for the second hour. Primary also changed in that there is no longer Sharing Time only Singing Time. Primary classes continue every week but are now only 25 minutes and the rest of the second hour is Singing Time. (This part has been kind of nice because as the Primary 1st Counselor, I don't have to prepare Sharing Time anymore...). Church is super fast now and we have an extra hour on Sunday to do what we want. The Church leaders encouraged us to use that time to study the scriptures and the week's church lessons. Because of this, the church curriculum also changed. The entire church is now studying the same manual. It is called "Come Follow Me" and this year it is the New Testament. These manuals teach the same principles and scriptures for all ages. There is also a "Come Follow Me" manual for individuals and families so that families can study the lessons at home together before Sunday and then be able to participate and contribute to the discussion in class on Sunday. This has been great because it has helped us study the scriptures more often as a family. I think these changes will be good for our family. It will also be a great thing for the church in that it will push members to be better at studying and learning on their own rather than leaning on the church as a crutch.
While I was listening to Conference and hearing the explanations and encouragements from the Apostles on these changes, I could not help be feel overwhelmed. It is my responsibility to teach my kids the gospel now. I mean it always had been but now it is even more so. I started getting worried that I would fail or not be good enough or know enough in order to teach them. I am still pretty overwhelmed by it but I know it is by small steps that we can do this. So that is why my spiritual goal is to keep up with the Come Follow Me manual and study the New Testament so that I can teach my kids. So far I have enjoyed learning more about the Savior.
Another change in the church has been to the Visiting Teaching/Home Teaching program. It is no longer called this but it is called Ministering now. This program is very similar to the Visiting Teaching program but more. Not only do we still have our people to go visit but we are also responsible to help everyone. We are to follow the Savior's example and "minister" to those around us. This is why I have chosen my social goal. I want to Minister to those in need because so many people ministered to me when I needed it.
Anyway, these are some of my goals. I really believe that if I can achieve these goals I will be a better person not only for me but also for my family and for others. Here's to 2019!
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