At the beginning of every year, we all create resolutions to help us better ourselves. Its a way for us to try and have a good start and ending to our year. And these goals may be to help up get back into shape, eat healthier, speak about the Lord more, become a better mother, wife, or friend, have a better relationship with Christ, etc. All of these goals are wonderful and should always be a practice in our lives everyday! And being given a fresh year, this is a perfect time to start.
This new year, I have a lot of goals/ habits that I want to accomplish/ instill in my everyday life. My husband and I both do Crossfit, so this year, we decided to change our diet to the Carnivore Diet. Yes, you heard that right, we will only be eating meat. Originally, my husband came to me about trying it out with him in 2023 but I was kind of skeptical about only eating meat. I tried the keto diet a couple years back and I did not like it at all. But after doing my own research, and watching videos about the carnivore diet, I was convinced to give it a shot. So our goal is to try it out for the first three months and evaluate how we feel. We will be combining intermittent fasting with the carnivore diet (which is safe to do) because we have been doing it for five years and our bodies are so used to it. Anytime we eat breakfast in the morning, we usually feel nauseous so we decided to stick with what we are used to. So from January to March, please pray for the Maunula Family lol. And no, our boys will eat not be eating just meat.
These next few "goals" are more habits that I want to instill in my life that will hopefully instill in my boys lives as well. I want to force myself to read more books and to finish them (finishing books is a big one for me), sit down for 10-20 mins a day reading books to my boys, listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I do chores around the house (if you know of any good audiobooks/podcasts please leave a comment down below), and have my boys listen to more children story podcasts while they play (please leave some children story podcast recommendations down below). I want to instill in myself to want to learn and become more knowledgeable. I never really had an environment growing up that encouraged me to grow in knowledge or want to grow in knowledge. My husband is actually teaching me how to love growing in knowledge and thats one of the things I admire about him the most. I strongly believe that in order for our children to desire learning and growing in knowledge, they need to see mom and dads desire for it too.
Sometime throughout the end of 2023, I read a quote from Elisabeth Elliot while scrolling through Pinterest that read...
Elisabeth's life and testimony has been a blessing to me. Instead of becoming bitter and angry at the people who murdered her husband when he was just trying to bring them the Gospel, she loved them and continued the work that her husband started. And she thought of it as a privilege and a way for her to serve and worship God.
Since reading it, the Lord kept reminding me about that quote almost everyday and it really convicted me. God gifted our family with the ability for me to be home with my children and care for our home. And I find that a lot of days, I don't have the best attitude. I get frustrated that I have to pick up toys at least five times a day or that my apartment looks destroyed the moment I clean it because our apartment is so small. So, this year, I really want to make a habit of viewing being a stay-at-home mom as a way for me to serve not only my family but the Lord and to also be grateful for being a stay-at-home mom. Raising my children for the Lord and serving my Husband is my ministry that God has given for me to do for Him and I should have a better attitude and serve with my whole heart.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. " -Colossians 3:23-24
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." -Ecclesiastes 9:10
Everyones goals are different. Some may be harder than others. But in order to achieve our goals, we must ask the Lord for the strength. Don't be discouraged if you fail a couple times. Just try again, and again, and again. I'd love you hear what your goals are for this new year. Share them down below in the comments! ANd ill be praying that you accomplish them.
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