January 1st is almost here! A symbolic day of newness, giving us a clean slate. A day when people around the world will unite to make resolutions that will no doubt make 2017 the BEST. YEAR. EVER – maybe…
New Year resolutions are funny to me. Don’t get me wrong, I make them…but making a big deal out of one day a year to reset all mistakes and refocus on becoming a better us just seems a little silly to me. Maybe the draw is in the appearance of a spotless, mistake free year dressing itself up as our day to step forward in the direction we want our life to move in. A moment in time to focus, appearing as if that day holds more power of change over any other – but statistically speaking, it doesn’t. Statistically…we are set to fail. Set to fail because more often than not our processes for carrying them out aren’t exactly as they should be, and we go them alone. Keeping a resolution is hard work, in them we seek change and change is purposeful, and takes effort, and when the going gets tough and we are alone -it is easy to quit and go back to comfort, thus sucking the wind from our sails leaving us to feel like a failure. A failure because we waited for one special day to start this journey, and now we have to wait to start again.
The interesting thing about a resolution though is that by definition, it is simply a determination to do, or not do something. Absolutely NOT dependent on the day in which it is started, only on the mindset of the one making it. It reminds me of the moment a person chooses to follow Jesus and accept that He is Lord and Savior of all. The difference being with a simple resolution, it can be made any day, but holds far better odds at success because at the moment of decision, we aren’t burdened in figuring out who will stand as our accountability partner. In this instance, Jesus himself claims the role holding true to His promise that we will not go this path alone, making us recipients of every promise He has made – the ones that that say His plan is to give us hope and a future, that His plan is good, that He is there at the very mention of His name, that He will fight for us; we must be quiet, and so many more promises that say He will be there for every moment through everything – the good, the bad, the faithful, the unfaithful, the rise, the fall, the addiction, the cleansing. every. single. thing. A pretty good deal if you ask me.
As you go and make your resolution for the New Year, be gracious to yourself. Realize that this is just a day on the calendar – mistakes happen, and change is hard. And maybe, just maybe you’re seeking to do things on your own that you aren’t intended to do by yourself. What if the missing piece to keeping your resolution for the New Year is your resolution to live for Him. What if the power you’re seeking to make the change you need is dependent on the help of our Lord, and not the day in which you start…what if the only decision that needs to be made is for you to…Choose Him?