At the start of 2017, I made four New Year's Resolutions. We're now half way through 2017, so this seems like a good point to review my progress on each of them.
1. To give more than I receive
On the surface,I think this one has been easier than the others. It's been an exciting challenge, and throughout the year I (and we as a family) have given away all sorts of items - but we've still received many things too. I had my 40th birthday in February and was astonished by the generosity of my friends, which made giving more than receiving a real challenge. I was also very pleased by my friends who made charitable donations on my behalf, and a survival shelter (UNHCR) and drinking water for 10 people (Oxfam) were donated for me. This is giving and receiving simultaneously - I love it.
However, this has also been very challenging: who am I giving to, and is it really giving?
Matthew 5:46-47
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
So, it's great to be able to post items on Facebook ("Free to good home...") but it's also self-filtering, since I'll only be giving to my friends ("those who love me") - so is that really rewarding? And it's hardly giving in secret if it's plastered all over social media. And that's something else: it's difficult to say, "Oh yes, I'm doing really well at giving," without sounding like I'm boasting about it. So I'll reiterate that it's been challenging to give to strangers, and to give without expecting reward, and I'll mention this verse, which has been a source of encouragement to me.
Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
And we will continue to make regular donations to our local Salvation Army shops.
2. To spend less time on trivial matters
Trivial matters are things that serve absolutely no practical purpose. Except that sometimes a bit of no practical purpose is a good thing. Sometimes, after a busy day at work and having put the children to bed, trivial matters are a welcome break. So no, I haven't completely cut out social media, TV, DVDs and the like, but I'm spending far less time on Facebook, almost zero time on Twitter and I am being more selective about what I watch on television. And deleting the Facebook app from my phone was a good move - I'm no longer interrupted by the latest event being promoted by someone I follow, or by "Somebody else commented on the post you commented on a couple of days ago." I am gently nudging myself to do something else while watching TV in the evenings... like writing articles for this blog, for example.
It's also made me think about what's actually trivial. Building a Lego model with my children: trivial or important?
3. To produce more than I consume
No. I am producing more than last year, and I am consuming less (and of better quality), but I don't think I'll ever tip the balance. After all, I have only one mouth but two ears. However, there are a number of things I've 'produced' this year (and this is just a selection I can recall off the top of my head):
- A board game to play with two of my children (we titled it "Back to Base", and it's a huge three-player game played on a triangular board, currently on its fourth version)
- Pieces to play "Back to Base" (we each need five pieces, and they've become more elaborate over the months). This has become almost a repair-not-replace, as I've kitbashed a number of figures from other games (for example, a figure of Christophe from Frozen - as found in a charity shop - became an astronaut with a camera).
- More blog posts than last year - that's easy to measure (this will be number 13 this year, compared to 14 for the whole of last year), and now I'm aiming to improve my quality as well as quantity.
- Various VHS to DVD conversions for friends (family weddings, for example)
- A couple of pieces of music (in draft)
And I am consuming less - yes. Less TV, for sure. I'm reading instead - and mostly non-fiction.
4. Repair, not replace
This hasn't been on my mind as much as the others (I had to look it up to remember what it was); I've repaired various toys for my children, and made various fixes around the house, but I haven't consciously repaired anything I'd otherwise have thrown away.
With one exception: one of my pairs of jeans developed a small hole, and so I decided to patch it up. It was only a small hole that wasn't immediately obvious, so only needed sewing back together and a small patch. I completed the repair with a small patch on the inside to hold my sewing together. I then realised that the jeans were actually too small, so they went in the charity shop bag. Repaired, not replaced, and then given away: two for the price of one! :-)
1. To give more than I receiveOn the surface,I think this one has been easier than the others. It's been an exciting challenge, and throughout the year I (and we as a family) have given away all sorts of items - but we've still received many things too. I had my 40th birthday in February and was astonished by the generosity of my friends, which made giving more than receiving a real challenge. I was also very pleased by my friends who made charitable donations on my behalf, and a survival shelter (UNHCR) and drinking water for 10 people (Oxfam) were donated for me. This is giving and receiving simultaneously - I love it.
However, this has also been very challenging: who am I giving to, and is it really giving?
Matthew 5:46-47
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
So, it's great to be able to post items on Facebook ("Free to good home...") but it's also self-filtering, since I'll only be giving to my friends ("those who love me") - so is that really rewarding? And it's hardly giving in secret if it's plastered all over social media. And that's something else: it's difficult to say, "Oh yes, I'm doing really well at giving," without sounding like I'm boasting about it. So I'll reiterate that it's been challenging to give to strangers, and to give without expecting reward, and I'll mention this verse, which has been a source of encouragement to me.
Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
And we will continue to make regular donations to our local Salvation Army shops.
2. To spend less time on trivial matters
Trivial matters are things that serve absolutely no practical purpose. Except that sometimes a bit of no practical purpose is a good thing. Sometimes, after a busy day at work and having put the children to bed, trivial matters are a welcome break. So no, I haven't completely cut out social media, TV, DVDs and the like, but I'm spending far less time on Facebook, almost zero time on Twitter and I am being more selective about what I watch on television. And deleting the Facebook app from my phone was a good move - I'm no longer interrupted by the latest event being promoted by someone I follow, or by "Somebody else commented on the post you commented on a couple of days ago." I am gently nudging myself to do something else while watching TV in the evenings... like writing articles for this blog, for example.
It's also made me think about what's actually trivial. Building a Lego model with my children: trivial or important?
3. To produce more than I consume
- A board game to play with two of my children (we titled it "Back to Base", and it's a huge three-player game played on a triangular board, currently on its fourth version)
- Pieces to play "Back to Base" (we each need five pieces, and they've become more elaborate over the months). This has become almost a repair-not-replace, as I've kitbashed a number of figures from other games (for example, a figure of Christophe from Frozen - as found in a charity shop - became an astronaut with a camera).
- More blog posts than last year - that's easy to measure (this will be number 13 this year, compared to 14 for the whole of last year), and now I'm aiming to improve my quality as well as quantity.
- Various VHS to DVD conversions for friends (family weddings, for example)
- A couple of pieces of music (in draft)
And I am consuming less - yes. Less TV, for sure. I'm reading instead - and mostly non-fiction.
4. Repair, not replace
This hasn't been on my mind as much as the others (I had to look it up to remember what it was); I've repaired various toys for my children, and made various fixes around the house, but I haven't consciously repaired anything I'd otherwise have thrown away.
With one exception: one of my pairs of jeans developed a small hole, and so I decided to patch it up. It was only a small hole that wasn't immediately obvious, so only needed sewing back together and a small patch. I completed the repair with a small patch on the inside to hold my sewing together. I then realised that the jeans were actually too small, so they went in the charity shop bag. Repaired, not replaced, and then given away: two for the price of one! :-)
I will provide another update around Christmas time (when I shall be able to work on my giving!).
