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What would it look like for you to take an honest inventory of your life in 2013

Sunday, December 29, 2013

In the world of marketing, this time of year is known as the “new year, new you” phenomenon, and you’ll see evidence all over the place. Self-help books show up on the bestseller list, magazine stands tout the latest diet fad, and cardio machines will be hard to come by at the gym. Even in the church we see a surge in attendance every January.

The general consensus is clear: we could all use some work, and this year might finally be the year when everything changes for the better. We try exercise. We try to eat right. We try to kick our bad habits. We try positive thinking. We try a new schedule. I’m not at all opposed to healthy living, getting organized, eating right, and all of that. But the rejuvenated identity we’re hoping to gain through self-improvement will eventually disappoint because it never lasts. It may take days or it may take years, but the battle ultimately goes the way of all mortal efforts. Often we feel that our life doesn’t include a ton of excess, that we don’t own too much or buy too much or eat too much or socialize too much or criticize ourselves too much — until we see our life from an objective perspective.

If you’re like most people, this is the time of year when you start thinking about what you want next year to look like. You may have considered some New Year’s Resolutions, or you may be boycotting resolutions. Either way, I’m guessing you’ve spent at least a little time thinking about how you want 2014 to look differently from 2013.

The problem is, most of us spend a good portion of time thinking about what we want to add to our lives without first considered what already exists in them.

The thought came to me accidentally, to tell you the truth. I was scrolling through my phone, looking at pictures and then eventually loading pictures from my Cannon to the computer when all of a sudden I realized: the last 12 months of my life has been so full. So much has happened.I realized that so much had changed.

There was a time that though myself and a few other WDNG team members had done and given everything we could to save our much loved station, this Calhoun County Icon that for years everyone has known and loved as WDNG, through no fault of our own was facing the possibility of closing because of actions of ownership. Through much prayer and doing everything I could do on my part to keep that from happening, God gave us a miracle. He layed it on the heart of Mr. Charlie Fuller and Charlene Fuller Gossett to take on the task of taking over WDNG. I'm so thankful that they listened and followed God's guidence. I believe he allowed me to go through those "testing times" to build my faith and teach me that I have to trust God in and for everything in my life and in doing so he honored my prayers, my faith, my trust in him. Here we are today just a little over a year past the possibility of this icon we all know as WDNG having to close it's doors and we are back full force though the faithfullness of God. Not only do Ralph Kirby, Jimmy Hensleigh, Joseph Anthony and myself all have the jobs that we love so much, we've even added a few other people that we are so thankful, blessed and happy to have. You know them as our News Director Michael Dean Smith, Tugg Talk Co Host Olivia Carol, and Andrew McClain with WDNG Sports. I'm blessed and so thankful for all that God has done and continues to do. We've also added new programming that we're very excited about. Not only did God work his miracle to save my job and allow me to continue to manage this awesome place as well as hosting my shows Pamela's Place and Weekend Outlook, but he also sent a wonderful gentleman that you all know as Eddy Reese to work with us through his own company of CSN, creating new shows and asking me to be his co host for what is known now as Community Talk. I am so very thankful and proud of the positive shows under this umbrella of Community Talk. God is also allowing other doors of opportunity to open for me. I know that this is only the beginning! I'm expecting amazing blessings in 2014! I'm so thankful for my family, my job, my WDNG team members, every single blessing that God has given me. It’s been a full year; and I don’t say that to brag. I say that to tell each of you I am blessed by my awesome God. He cares about everything in our life and he's more than proven that to me. Something incredible happens when you just spend a little time taking inventory. You realize how much you had in the first place.

There are a few reasons taking inventory is so valuable as we try to move forward into our next year. First, we realize how "rich" we really are.When I go through my closet to clear out old clothes, I realize the complaint that I have “nothing to wear” is really unfounded. I have so much to wear, I forget I have most of it. The same is true for events and achievements in life. The next time you catch yourself thinking the last year of your life has been a waste, go through your Instagram profile or any of your photos storage areas, the places we tend to record our most proud moments, chances are you’ll find memories of the most lovely, wonderful things that have happened to you in the past 12 months. An honest inventory of our life points to our priorities. When I spend time to determine where I’ve invested my time, money and energy, I discover what matters to me most. Not what I say matters, but what really matters. I might not like what I find there, but if I’m willing to be honest about it, the information can be incredibly valuable. When we take an honest inventory of our lives, we’re able to see how we want to move ahead differently in the future.

What would it look like for you to take an honest inventory of your last 12 months? I pray that 2014 is so blessed and highly favored of God for each of you!

Be Blessed!

Pamela" Jewels' Bates,

Operations Manager,

Host of Pamela's Place,

Host of Weekend Outlook,

Co Host of Community Talk,

WDNG Media

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