"So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,

but only God, who makes things grow."

~ I Corinthians 3:7 NIV

Yesterday's ecumenical women's Bible study was taken from crosswalk.com and written by Kathi Lipp.

It was titled 'friend to friend'. Lipp inquired about our and her New Year's resolutions. How are we coming?

Her list usually looked like this, she said:  'lose twenty pound'; 'read fifty books', 'declutter the whole house', 'grow my business by 20%'.

But after three weeks? You know what happens, or hasn't happened.

"After decades of making goals," she penned, "I've finally come to the realization that I've been doing it all wrong all these years. My goals were always focused on the reward waiting when the huge goal was accomplished. I spent so much time focused on the outcome, the part that I tried to control but couldn't, that I wasn't paying attention to the part I needed to focus on---the small part that was my responsibility. Instead of the final goal, I need to stay focused on the faithful steps I can make."

She said her 'new' focus was instead of 'reading fifty books'; instead 'I will set aside thirty minutes in the evening to read'. Instead of 'losing twenty pounds': say "I will walk 30 minutes in the morning."

"Because when I am focused on the outcome, I miss the One who is making the miracle happen," she said. "I miss God's hand in my life because I am convinced that I am the one who is making things happen."

She continued, "We would love to believe that we have absolute control over how our lives will turn out, but just like those who work the farm, some of us plant the seeds, some of us water, but the final results are up to God and God alone."

"Dear Lord,

thank You for honoring not just the outcomes,

but also the next steps.

Help me to be faithful in everything You have for me,

and to keep my eyes on You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen."

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