I've been pretty horrible about blogging recently. So much for commitment- my word of the year. Ok, to be fair to myself, I feel like I've been committed to other things that have not allowed me as much "me time"; therefore, not as much time to blog. I miss putting my thoughts out there though so I'm hoping to be back at this a little more frequently.
I have several different blog ideas running through my head, but none of them formed enough to actually write so I figured since it's been two months, I'd give an update on my commitments.
1) Spending time with friends in Sioux City.
If you ever talked to me when I moved back to Sioux City two and a half years ago, you might have heard me say something about how I didn't want to get invested in friendships here because I had no intention of staying here when I finished school. I spent a lot of time at home doing nothing or out of town because of this. How stupid!
This may sound strange, but my closest friends now are my coworkers. It's amazing how God can use the place I'm in to show me how enjoyable people can be. My coworkers are crazy, energetic, make me laugh hysterically, and joke around constantly. We spend time together outside of work and talk almost nightly on Facebook. My breakfast dates with one of them before work on a weekly basis is also pretty sweet!
I feel so much better about life having people I can invest in. People I care about. People that care about me. Don't get me wrong. I've had people like this in my life all the time, but none of them lived in Sioux City. Knowing I can be there for people at the drop of a hat is something I enjoy. In a way, it's like I've made a commitment not to be focused on myself every second of every day. I can and want to focus on others.
2) Learning about myself
I don't think this ever ends for anyone, but I believe that people can make a conscious effort to knowingly learn about oneself.
I absolutely love to read. I buy books constantly, which has a negative side effect on my pocketbook. That's something I've learned well. But...I use those books to learn about myself. Since the beginning of this month, I've read two and a half books that helped me examine myself and my life. These books have made me realize some changes that I need to make in order to glorify God more fully.
I'll share one quickly. TV has always been a staple in my house. A lot is scheduled around what is on TV that night. I sadly fell into that pattern when I was growing up. I've known for a long time that it was a problem and cherish summers because I don't even have access to TV; therefore, I am more free to do other things. In the past few years, I feel like I've gotten better about not letting TV dictate my plans, but it wasn't until I read "Gods at War" by Kyle Idleman that I realized that TV had become a god to me at a young age. It became more important than relationships and spending time with those who truly matter. I am happy to say that TV hasn't truly dictated my schedule for quite a while, but I am always going to have to be diligent to keep it that way.
*Disclaimer: Steelers football will sometimes dictate my schedule as that is "Daddy and Me" time.
3) The Boy
Wait for it...Are you ready? You are? Ok.
I, Heather Nichole Grause, am no longer single.
That's right.
I have a boyfriend. And he's amazing!
For those of you who have made a habit of reading my blogs, you know by the several blogs about relationships that it's been about seven and a half years since I've been in any kind of relationship. If you didn't know, you do now! Attending a private Christian college, the chase for a significant other- correction, a husband or wife- was at the forefront of so many students' thoughts. Thankfully, I missed that boat (no offense to my friends who found a husband or wife during their college years). That's not what my college years were intended to be. If it happened, it happened, but I wasn't going to chase after a guy. It clearly didn't happen and I was never sad about that. I had so many opportunities ahead of me, including learning about myself.
I met my boyfriend, J, shortly after I moved back to Sioux City two and a half years ago. Anyone else see the irony in the fact that I met him around the time I was adamant I wasn't going to invest in any relationships? We met through work and occasionally kept in contact after he started a new job. Neither of us were expecting a relationship when we started talking again in January, but it naturally progressed into one. This is a huge change and commitment for both of us and a decision I know I didn't take lightly. I could go on and on about details, but honestly, that's not why I'm writing this. If you want to know more, you can ask in person and I may or may not tell you.
4) Time with God
Sadly, I used a similar argument about church as I did with friends when I moved home. I had no intention of staying in Sioux City, spent summers at camp, and went out of town many weekends to see friends and my beautiful nieces. What was the point in finding a church family just to leave again? It's not like I would be there frequently anyway. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
Because of my job and interaction with customers, I have been conscious of my need to spend time with God daily, which is something I try to do. Currently, I am attempting to read the New Testament in 40 days. We'll see if that's successful. I would take a wild guess I won't be successful because I'm a little ADD when it comes to reading the Bible and I change my mind all the time about what I want to read. Even if I'm not successful in completing it in 40 days, I will still be spending time in God's Word.
In February, I started attending my uncle's church then went on vacation. I enjoyed the church and am glad I was diligent about going after he began inviting me. Since then, I have had a few more options opened up to me of different ways to get involved in church groups.
I'm not sure I realized what I had been missing by making excuses of why I didn't need to/shouldn't go to church. I was always extremely involved in church growing up so I'm not sure how I got into this mindset. Maybe what everyone said about those who major in theology needing three years to come back to the church after graduating was true. Hate to think of it like that, but it's been about three years. Disappointing. I never abandoned my relationship with God. The church, yes. Getting involved in church again has been the most important commitment I have made because I know it's playing into everything else I am committing.
What kind of commitments are you making?
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