I'm a few days late, but wanted to give an update on my March progress towards my 2011 goals.

Spiritual Goal: Read through the Bible in one year. I'm 4 days behind in my reading, but will be caught up by week's end. One of the benefits of a yearly Bible reading plan is that you read parts of the Bible you otherwise might skip over (like the book of Leviticus!). This time through I've seen some things I've never noticed before. I LOVE that about the Bible - it's deep, yet the simplest mind can understand it. It's still living and active and speaking to us today... even from those parts we have found dry or dull before.

Physical Goal: Lower my cholesterol and become more physically fit. Now, I have to tell you that February was an awesome month, where I exercised 15 out of 28 days! I'm ashamed to admit I was a slacker in March! I exercised only 8 times in 31 days. March was a month that included me being sick, my kids being sick, and being out of town for my grandmother's funeral for 5 days. So, I need to get back on the exercise bandwagon in April! I am encouraged and am making some progress, albeit slowly. I am confident that my cholesterol will be lowered (by how much, I don't know) when I have it checked again this summer. I do find that I feel better about myself and have a better outlook on life when I have exercised. It is becoming easier to fit into my routine too, which makes it feel more like "this is just something I do as part of my regular day" and less like it's optional.

Growth Goal: show self-control and avoid anger "blow ups." Success in this area is difficult to measure, but I do see progress. One of the ways I know this is getting better is the general tone or atmosphere in my home. You know how it is - Mom and Dad really set the tone in the home. They will determine if the home is a peaceful place or a place of conflict, strife and irritability. The more self-control I exhibit, the more peaceful my home is. And I have sensed a more peaceful environment lately, more comfortable and relaxed and less uptight and tense.

Two other things have happened recently that are areas of growth, though not necessarily ones I set goals to work on this year. I guess the Lord has other goals in mind for us sometimes! First, I was able to maintain my composure at my grandmother's funeral, while I read a special poem (it was the Hands Poem found here). This was no small thing. Although God has given me some abilities to speak and perform in public, it does not come easy. And to do so while feeling loss and grief is quite a challenge. But I am so glad that I said I would share. It meant a lot to me and I wanted to do it for my grandma's sake. I thank the Lord for seeing me through it and for the growth in this area that I see.

Secondly, I agreed in January to teach our young adult Sunday School class. I've taught Sunday School before, for both children and adults. The difference is that it has always been for a limited time. I always knew that I had to teach for 4 weeks or 10 weeks and then I was done. This time, I took on a class with no end date. I was it, unless someone else spoke up and wanted to teach. So I have been teaching each week, working through the book Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges. I think I'll write some posts in the future on some of the content of the book and class. It's gone well, I think, and I can see how God is using this teaching opportunity to teach me and grow me. Amazing how that works - the teacher being the one to learn the most!

So that is my update. Slowly I'm plodding along, inching ever closer to my goals. But at least I'm making forward movement! That encourages me to continue on and take the next step!

Here is my initial listing of my goals for 2011.

And here is my previous progress report.