The End of the World as We Know It?

Sometimes I feel like I live under a rock.  What do I mean?  Well, we rarely watch televsion {just Chuck & So You Think You Can Dance, if you don't count Noah's movies} and we don't get the local paper.  I do check the iPod app for the weather every day, but I usually get most of my "news" from the Facebook news feed or hearing someone else talk about it.  Pathetic, I know.  So, today, as I scanned FB, I was shocked to discover that apparently the world is ending tomorrow and I was blissfully unaware. {please read that part sarcastically. :)}  I hadn't heard anything about the latest apocalyptic prediction, so I did a little googling to see why in the world someone would pick 5/21/11.  Of course, it doesn't hold water.  First of all, the Bible specifically tells us:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  Matthew 24:36
I'm pretty sure that includes Harold Camping.  And for what it's worth, the more our Bible Study group has looked into the Jewish historical and cultural context of Scripture, the more I tend to think that Jesus is going to return on a major Jewish holiday...possibly Sukkot or Yom Kippur.  God tends to use important dates like that {ie: Jesus' death during Passover and Resurrection on the day of the Feast of Firstfruits}.  But I don't know the actual time any more than Mr. Camping or the angels or my next door neighbor do.

Anyway, it did make me stop to think about the fact that I should probably do a priority check, because while I don't believe I'm getting raptured tomorrow {although it would be a much more interesting way to spend a Saturday than our current plan of attending our town's main street festival} I do know that I'm supposed to be living each day purposefully and in such a way that I wouldn't be embarrassed to account for I'm spending my time.  So here are my "end of the world as we know it" resolutions:

1. Focus on my family.
While we do get a lot of family time, and we certainly have lots of Mama-Noah time, I do find that sometimes when Noah asks me to build another block house or watch another Veggie Tales movie, I make excuses and sneak off to either send an email or do some laundry.  The reality, though, is that he's only little once and when he's off at college I'm going to wish he were here saying, "Noah needs his mommy" again.

2. Spend less time on the computer.
I'm doing great so far, huh?  Lol.  This kind of ties in with the first one though.  I find that blogging and keeping up with friends on FB and email is a great stress reliever and a fun "me-time" activity...but sometimes I think I take a little too much me-time at the expense of living in the moment with my hubby and son.  Sometimes I get so busy interacting with people on the computer that I forget to interact with the people in my house.  Which is funny because it annoys me to no end when I'm talking with someone and they start texting someone else at the same time....grrrr!  I'm right in front of you!  So, yeah, less screen, more faces. :)

3. Give, share, serve.
There are lots of gray areas in life, but one thing I know for sure is that Jesus intends for us to serve and love others.  We're supposed to think of others first, give generously, and to care specifically for those who need extra help like widows and orphans.  In some ways, I've been doing this; you may remember the fleece blankets we made to take to local the nursing home.

But I want to do more.  I want to make sure I'm doing things that use the gifts I've been given to bless others.  Another specific focus for me is going to be making sure I'm helping my parents to look out for my dad's mom.  She's 81 and lives all alone about 3 minutes from our house.  She's in great health, but I know she gets really lonely; we could be better about spending time with her, inviting her over for dinner, or dropping by just to say hello especially in the evenings.

4. Spend more time with the people I love, doing the things I love.

I figure I'm never going to look back and think, "oh, I wish I'd gotten that one more load of laundry done."  But somehow I often end up choosing the responsible thing I "should" do rather than the fun thing I really want to do.  Not to say that responsibility is bad, just that sometimes I get too focused on it.  So, I'm going to dance more.  Lots more. 

I'm going to create more.  I'm going to play the piano instead of vaccuming the floor.  I'm going to make time to visit the people I care about.  I'm going to go out with my girlfriends and not worry about what I "should" be doing instead. 

And I'm going to eat lots of ice cream.  Oh, wait, I already do...

5. Make sure I'm living my life as an example to my son and to those around me.

I'm not going to go around knocking on doors in my neighborhood, but I do want my life to naturally show the people I encounter that the Lord I serve has made a difference in me.  I want my friends and family and especially my son to think of me as someone who is trustworthy, loving, and forgiving.  Someone who strives to do what's right even when the right choice isn't the easy one. 

What about you?  Since the world is most likely going to keep going around for awhile longer, what resolutions do you have?  Meanwhile, if it's the end, I'm going to be really bummed because tomorrow is the start of a 10-day vacation for hubby!  We're planning to take a different day trip each day to some of our favorite local-ish spots as well as some we {or Noah} have never been to before.  Stay tuned for reviews of some fun family trips...