As we begin a “New Year”, how many of us will once again make those “New Year’s Resolutions”? You know, the same ones each year, like lose weight, get in shape, get organized, manage finances better, quit drinking, quit smoking, etc. How long do these resolutions last? A few days, a few months? Usually not much past that.
As Christians we might make resolutions to pray more, read our Bible more, memorize verses of Scripture, or give more to our church.
While all of these are good resolutions, our first priority (not just at the beginning of a year, but all year) should be to love God and to do His will in our lives. Therefore, we should set Godly goals and pursue them for Him and with His help.
I’m a “list maker”. I feel inspired when I write down all that I need to do daily such as read my Bible, pray, exercise, take my vitamins, eat healthy, clean house, make a craft, etc. I would eagerly and excitedly write them all down with anticipation and confidence that this time I will succeed in doing them all forever. Then in reality, I may do them all one day, some I’d do for a week. Then I’d fail, not doing any of them. Feelings of inadequacy, failure, etc. would flood my mind. I finally realized that I couldn’t do these things on my own. Instead of trying to change everything at once, I needed to ask God what He wanted me to change and ask Him to help me. I have a long way to go but together, one change at a time, we are succeeding.
My “resolution” became one of my prayers. I replaced each bad habit with Godly things. I made small changes like listening to Christian music instead of secular, reading Christian books & my Bible instead of magazines and surfing through Pinterest, listening to sermons/Christian podcasts instead of computer games, praying more for my family and loved ones instead of criticizing and judging them, making time for relaxation, and spending time with friends instead of making excuses that I’m too busy. What we fill ourselves with is what we become.
~Joanie Lawrence-Cain
