A New Year "Resolution"

Ok, so I'm not a believer in New Year Resolutions. It is my opinion that we set ourselves up for failure when we save all 17 habits we want to start or break until January 1st. There are 12 months in every year, use them! One bad habit broken per month, one good habit formed per month. You have much greater odds of success when you're not trying to make a 180 degree turn from life as you now know it.

All this to say: I'm making a resolution this year. I know!! I just finished saying I don't believe in them. And that hasn't really changed. Maybe "resolution" isn't the right word. Heather used the phrase "be intentional about doing" instead and I like it better.

The past few weeks, as the weather has decidedly dropped, the number of homeless people in the Phoenix area has become more evident. The man on the corner wearing every single article of clothing in his possession, the woman at the bus stop wrapped up in a tattered old sleeping bag, the man pretending to be grocery shopping just to escape the cold nights... God has been opening my eyes to the needs of others who are suffering more than I am and have greater needs than those that are troubling me. Lately I've been hyper-focused on Planet Becky and I have passed them all without a single glance.

So, here's my "resolution" for the year: I want to be intentional about sharing Jesus' love to any and all the homeless people who cross my path. I will say a prayer of blessing for each one. I will NOT turn my head and pretend I don't see them because they make me uncomfortable. I will give a dollar or 50 cents or 2 dollars when asked because it doesn't mean all that much to my budget and it may mean the whole world to someone else.

I'm not sharing this decision in order to receive kudos for my great "spirituality." That's not what I'm looking for or need to hear. I'm taking this opportunity to ask that you pray that I will have the strength of character and the willpower to step outside (WAY, WAY OUTSIDE) of my comfort zone and pay forward just a fraction of what God has given me.