Month-Beginnings

I love the beginnings of the months.  It's an opportunity to start over and do better this month.  To clean up all the bills and file them away.  It's a time of hope that your utilities for this new month won't be reaching the upper limit of your budget.  Spending too much in one category for the previous month is behind you.  It's a time of atonement and a clean slate.  All the overwhelming feelings I have at the end of each month seem to be soothed by the day numbered 1.  It's a do-over.  You get to see four weeks ahead of you on your calendar and resolve once again to get all your chores done on time.  It's like Doug Heffernan in The King of Queens' episode where he's eating a cup of pudding and when he gets to the end, he's sad.  Then, he eyes his wife's pudding that she's not eating and eats hers too.  He's as happy as a lark, even boastful.  Then, about 1 minute later, he's eaten all of that one, too.  "I'm sad again," he says.  And it's funny to watch because it's a sitcom.  But I feel like that sometimes in real life when I have gone through my month less than joy-ful and not disciplined.  I eat what I want when I want and MORE than I need.  I spend money on what I eat more than we HAVE sometimes.  I am a wreck in this category. 

I need discipline.

I need God's hand on my life.

I need to be sick and tired of the same old routine month-in and month-out.

I need to stick to the budget that we have agreed upon in all categories.

I need to indulge my cravings less.

I need to use my time wisely and spend it with my family.

I need to get rid of some things that are cluttering our house and our lifestyle.

I need to simplify and buy some basic staples of a wardrobe that screams, "I cared when I got dressed this morning."

I need to dedicate time to studying the Word.

I need to dedicate time to study for my class...my career.

Lord, I give all of these things and my life up to You.  Work in me on some or all of these things.  Don't overwhelm me with them all at once, but help me now.  Help me to delay gratification so that we can thrive in the long run.  So that we can have better quality of life and can spend more time doing things that matter like investing in our children's lives.  Help me to know what things we should commit to and where we should say no.  Even if it hurts at first.  Even if we really like the activity.  Help us to be more like You and less like me.