Why I Do Politics

Sometimes I wonder why I do politics. Why am I involved? Is it for the right reasons?

Over the last two years or so, I have been very involved in politics. I have been involved at all different levels within my state party. Most of the involvement has been at the local level, in my county. I worked on a state senate campaign and helped with some local races. Currently, I am in a leadership training group that trains women to be public servants.

I am involved in all of these things for a reason. I do not do anything without a purpose. But at times over the last year, when I have been exhausted or just not sure why I am doing politics, I question the reason.

Am I doing it for myself? Am I doing it for fun? Am I doing it to make an impact, to make a difference in the world? Am I doing it for the next generation, so that they have a great country to live in? Is it because I have certain issues that drive me? Or is it more than that? These are some of the questions that have plagued me. While the answer to some of these may be yes, there is another reason why I ultimately am involved and will stay involved.

I do want to make a difference. I do want to help the next generation thrive. I do have certain issues that drive me in to politics. And yes, I even do it for fun and for myself. But this weekend I realized that the real reason why I do politics, is completely different from why others do politics. My reason for doing politics, is my reason for doing anything and everything else - I want to do all I do for God's glory.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV84

Over this weekend, I realized what I knew all along. I have been doing it for God's glory. I have been trying to shine His light. I know that there have been times when I have failed to give God the glory and praise in what I have done through politics, but I also know where my heart is. My heart is to do God's will. I believe He has called me to be involved and He has blessed my efforts. He has also blessed me by putting others in my path that do politics for the same reason as me. And I believe He has called me to be a light, in a place that can sometimes be very dark.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV84

I appreciate those of you who have gotten involved in politics. But more so, I appreciate those of you who have answered God's call in your life - no matter what that may be.

In all you do, I pray you will be a light for Him! Go out and make an impact in the world - for Christ!


For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV84

Collections

We all have collections. Some people have small collections and some have rather large collections. My family happens to be a family that likes to collect. While people always come first in our lives, we do have our share of "things" and collections. My grandparents came from the generation that never got rid of things because, well, "you never know when you might need it"! To some extent, I think I may have inherited this as well. I like my collections and I like to see other people's collections. It can also be fun to add to yours or another person's collections. Collections tell stories!

My love of collections probably comes from when I was very young. When I was a little girl, I often went shopping and antiquing with my grandma and mom. I would get to help my mom and grandma look for pieces of their collections. It might have been a new cameo for my grandma's collection of those pretty pieces of jewelry. It might have been looking for another piece to my mom's dish set. Or it may have simply been the adventure of being together with three generations of family and the memories that came from those times.

Or it may have been the collections that were started for me. The Noah's Ark pieces that decorated my room from when I was little. The little mugs that were brought home to me from trips people went on. The books I have. And on and on...

But of all of the collections I have, the one I would like to share right now is my key-chain collection. Collecting key-chains started from a collection that my brother had. He had started collecting them and had a quite a few. I liked the idea and started my own collection many years ago. Since then I have collected quite a few. I have gotten them from different places that I have traveled, from other people that have brought me souvenirs, and some from conventions, booths, and fairs. I love getting a new key-chain and the memory that comes with it. And I would love to share them with you! Each week, I am going to try and share one or two key-chains with you. Hope you enjoy!

"Celebrate who you are"

My most recently acquired key-chain! I got this on December 31, 2012. Every New Year's Eve, we do a white elephant game and this was one of the prizes I won from the game!

Resolutions - check up

Today is a snow day where I live, during the night we received rain, freezing rain, and tonight we are supposed to get snow. On top of the snow we already have! 

So as I sit back and think, I wanted to check up on my resolutions. These are the ones I shared with you at the beginning of the year and now that is is almost two weeks later, I thought I would check up on them!

• Read more (fiction and classics) - I have read two books and am starting my 3rd and 4th books today... Also joined Goodreads as a way to keep track of the books I am reading.
• Memorize Scripture - As to this goal, I have made a chart for this and I plan to start memorizing 1 Cor. 13 on Feb. 1st.
• Read my Bible and do a Bible study - I am currently reading a devotional by Laura Story.
• Try one new thing each month - Not yet this month!
• Pay off my college debt - Getting there.
• Complete MEPS - This is a year-long program, I am almost halfway through!
• Continue to be politically active - With the Congress and my state's legislature getting back underway, I have been staying up-to-date. Plus, looking for what ways I am supposed to be involved.
• Journal (prayer journal) - So far about weekly.
• Blog (weekly?) - Well, you may have to be the judge of this!

Already 11 days into the next year and I know that some of my resolutions will need some adjustments and I am okay with that. I want to be able to "go-with-the-flow" and yet still have some general goals/resolutions.

How are your resolutions or New Year's goal going? Are you staying on top of them, or do you need to make some changes? Be willing to make some changes on a must-need basis and be willing to let God use you this year. Strive for your goals, but in the end, let your life glorify God.

2013... Looking Forward

Goals / Resolutions for the New Year

A couple days before 2013 started, I had some time to thing about the coming year and the resolutions I would like to make. I was inspired to create some new goals since last year's didn't go as planned and I couldn't even tell you what they were (except for finishing college, which I did). My inspiration came from two CollegePlus blog posts that I read and could really relate to. The first was called What I Learned About Setting Goals and the second was called The Six Steps I Took to Setting Goals and I would highly recommend you reading them!

Here are some of my goals/resolutions for 2013:

• Read more (fiction and classics)
• Memorize Scripture
• Read my Bible and do a Bible study
• Try one new thing each month 
• Pay off my college debt
• Complete MEPS
• Continue to be politically active
• Journal (prayer journal)

These are a few of the goals I have for this year. Most of the other goals fit somewhere inside of these. I have also tried to make these goals as specific as I can. For example, I have written down the list of books I would like to read and when I want to read them. I have made a calendar specifically for my goals. While I have done all this, I still want to make sure that I am willing to let go of these dreams, goals, resolutions, in order for God's Will to be done. I am open for changes and adjustments in my plan. Last year when there was changes, I let my resolutions go, too. This year, I will be open to let these goals change or get adjusted instead of just letting them just vanish.

Also, I want to remember to continue to live my Life Purpose that I wrote a few years ago.

I want to live my life in a way that will always glorify God. I want to develop a heart that says, “Here I am, Lord, send me” (Isaiah 6:1-6). I want to make the most of every day, living like it is my last. I know I have been put here for a purpose (Esther 4:14) and I want to fulfill my purpose, even if I do not always know what God wants me to do. I want to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). I want to live "By Faith" (Hebrews 11) and "Do Hard Things". I want to have an attitude of "It's all about God and not all about me". I am striving to follow the example of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in my daily life. Ultimately, I want to learn that God knows the whole picture and that He will guide me through everything, even if I do not understand it (Jeremiah 29:11). I want to live in such a way that my life reflects Christ, so I can be a witness for Him. I want to influence children, girls, and women of all ages. I would like to inspire the next generation to be bold for God and to be able to step out on their own faith in Christ. I will do this, first, by reminding them of 1 Timothy 4:12. I will also do this through JOY blog, internet resources, my writing, and through disciplining and teaching others to live for Jesus Christ. I also want to show God’s Biblical Truths to others and expose the lies of the enemy. “So whether [I] eat or drink or whatever [I] do, [I want to] do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Happy New Year to all my Readers!