One January day, at my neighborhood YMCA, the parking lot was full and all of the machines were in use. The place was packed.
“What’s going on?” I asked a friend who worked there.
“Oh, it’s the New Year’s resolutions people make to get in shape. Give it a month and the place will look back to normal.”
She was absolutely right. In February, the parking was readily available and I didn’t have to wait for any equipment.
On that cold day, I was at the indoor track at the gym because of my resolution to walk 3 miles every day (and not feel guilty if I didn’t). That year, I ended up walking 350 days. I felt so much happier, freer and healthier. It was a lot of fun.
When I make resolutions, I like to view them more like aspirations – “looking forward to something with great desire, hoping for some dream or goal to come true, or working towards making something happen” according to yourdictionary.com.
“While a lot of people who make New Year's resolutions generally find them hard to keep, research shows that making resolutions gives you direction. People who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain goals than people who don't make any,” says psychologist Deborah Serani. She is a licensed psychologist and certified psychoanalyst for over 20 years, and the award-winning author of “Living with Depression.”
Yet, other research suggests that approximately half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions, yet only 8% actually achieve them.
The Bible tells of God’s desire to do a work in us. “Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit within me! Do not reject me! Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me!” (Psalm 51:10-11, New English Translation).
The Bible shows that God wants us to make plans, so that He can move us in a direction. “A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NET Bible).
The Bible tells of God’s new plan for each of us. “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events. Look, I am about to do something new” (Isaiah 43:18-19, NET Bible).
For further reflection, see Philippians 3:12-15; Psalm 139:23,24; Ephesians 4:17-24; Lamentations 3:40 and 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Your friends might be searching for ways to be a better person at this time of year. What a great opportunity to point them to the Resolution-completer who is Christ. He completes the resolutions that I make and the ones that He impresses on my heart to desire.
What do you think resolutions say about our lives and our culture? Let me know in the comments below.
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