New Year's Resolution

I discovered what my New Year's resolution will be as I was reading the book Living a Life of Balance by Marilyn Meberg (a Women of Faith study series) this morning. The chapter I was reading is entitled "Balancing Faith and Works." Basically, the synopsis of this chapter was that faith is dead without works (James 2:20, 2:26). Now, I'm certainly not saying that you can "work" your way to heaven, because that is a lie. However, if we have been saved by Christ Jesus and have faith in who He is, what He's done, and what He IS doing then our faith naturally leads us to good works because of our gratitude and humility. Unfortunately, many believers, especially myself, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of day to day living according the the pleasures of this world and can become unfruitful and self-centered. Since I've had Susannah Grace, I have found this increasingly true in my life. I get up in the morning, get myself and my little one ready for the day, go to work, come home, take care of supper for my little one, play, put her in bed, and then get on facebook, take a bath, and go to bed. Once my head hits the pillow, I begin to think about where all the time has gone. How in the world did I miss out on doing my quiet time and praying? Well, it happens. In fact, I've found myself being increasingly possessive of "MY" time. I've become more introverted and less extroverted with others. I rarely take the time to do things for others because I am SO BUSY! While I do think my family is supremely important, I don't think that God has solely called me to be just a mother and a wife. He's called me to be much more for His kingdom. My goal this new year is to first, "Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind" and to "Treat my neighbor as I would treat myself" (Matthew 22:37-39). I want to turn away from being so self centered and take the TIME to help and minister to those around me. In addition to the scripture mentioned, the following quote really helped open my eyes to this struggle I've been facing:

"Just as a road map only does us good if we believe in its accuracy and follow its directions, our faith only does anyone any good if we do something with it. What we say we believe must match up with what we do. Our actions give testimony to a faith that is otherwise invisible."