A Resolution to Commit

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."- Isaiah 43: 18-19

I wanted to touch a little bit on starting fresh in the New Year. While listening to the local radio station yesterday I heard the morning show hosts discussing resolutions and the high percentage of people who break them within the first week. I am guilty of not only that, but also of not really making resolutions to begin with. 

I think there are a few reasons for this. First, as a society we are terrified of commitment. You see this in the amount of common-law 'marriages' because people are afraid to "put a ring on it" and make a lasting covenant. We see this in the 50% divorce rate and the disposable view a lot of young people have about marriage. We see this in the increasing number of open dating relationships. We see this in families that fall apart after a fight over money in a will. We see this in the increasing lack of family time in a lot of households. We see this in the word 'maybe' that we toss around like a hot potatoe. We are terrified of making a commitment of our love, of our time, of ourselves. We don't want to be stuck with something in case some other, better option comes along. The grass is always greener, right? 

We are afraid to commit to a resolution of improving ourselves because we don't want to be 'stuck' in case we find something better to do. Commitment is a lot of work, and we are scared of sacrificing ourselves.

Second, we make unrealistic, and, for lack of a better word, 'slack' resolutions. We say, " In 2013 I want to eat healthy." That is fabulous, and a great thing to strive for.  But we often forget the how. I am not sure if this is the case for all of you, but for me it is a matter of lack of planning. It's as if the new year sneaks up on me and I panic and either make no resolutions or say, I am going to eat healthy, exercise more, be nice, etc. and I forget to come up with the how. The how is critical. We have to know what we are going to do to make those goals attainable.

For me, New Years resolutions have a deeper, spiritual meaning. It's kind of like Lent. In Lent we are preparing ourselves for Easter, and we are fasting and improving ourselves for the King. I think sometimes we forget that our entire lives are about preparing for the King. Every single second of every single day is about paving our path to Heaven. We don't automatically get in, we gotta work our buns off. So, the new year provides a time for me to reflect on my life and think of the areas in which I need to improve. 

We need to be very self aware, and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us in how we need to improve for God. This is about improving ourselves for God, not for self-gratification. For example, we want to eat healthy to improve our life style so we have more energy and maybe live longer so we can more accurately fulfil what God has planned for our lives, and give Him glory through that, not just to loose weight and look hot (although, that is a bonus). We need to rid ourselves of the temptation for prideful motives in our resolutions.

It is not too late to make your resolutions for 2013. I suggest you sit down this evening and compose a list of the things in your life you want to improve, and then write next to it a detailed list of ways you plan on executing this. You don't have to tell anyone else your plans. This is between you and God, and is personal. However, if there are things you want to grow in as a household, a family or a couple, you could definitely do this together.

Happy 2013, again!

God bless you in this new stage of your life,

Em xo