Today is the 30^th of December; one day before New Year’s Eve. When we started this journey on the 1^st of November, 59 days ago, I shared that my plan was for “We Gather Together 14” to end on December 25^th, Christmas. But after praying about it and talking it over with John, I decided to continue the daily postings through New Year’s Day and then to share once a week throughout 2015.

The concept of “gathering together” has really caught my attention. I desperately need to clean up some areas of my life. I’ve got “stuff” that is old, tiny, new and huge. Some areas need to be straightened up, others tossed and others made ready for operation. You know what I mean, our traditional New Year’s resolutions plus the stuff that we just don’t think we can do, the things we don’t bother to list because they are just too huge. Or, fixing that “stuff” in our lives involves the actions of others – actions we cannot control.

This morning, I have one phrase of advice. It was something that my mother said to me at least once a day when I was not carrying my load of household chores. I have said it to young students and thought it about older students many times. This is my first goal in 2015.

Are you ready? Here it is:

“Clean up after yourself.”

Earth shattering, isn’t it? Just a simple act – cleaning up what I have done or said or thought or not done. This task does not involve actions of others nor their endorsement of my goal. It is all up to me.

It means putting my trash into the bin at the fast food restaurant. It means apologizing when I have hurt another. It means being honest with my boss when I might be tempted to do otherwise. It means not only taking responsibility for my actions, but doing something about what I have done.

So, if you are drafting resolutions for 2015, you might want to start with “clean up after yourself.” Just a thought.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” (I Corinthians 13:11)