As mentioned in yesterday’s post, “Would Jesus Have Made New Year’s Resolutions?”, I make them quite regularly. I break them quite regularly too. Like last year, I thought about reading the Bible in the King James Version in honor of its 400th year. Couldn’t do it – I finished up Easter and finished out with the NRSV and NIV. Maybe I’ll try that again when the KJV turns 500 though. I realize writing this publicly may allow the reader to think that I make these without much thought. Perhaps that’s half-true (I need to give that some thought ;) but allowing myself to try new and different things regularly and to allow myself to fail at them as been among the better things I’ve enjoyed in recent years.
Here’s what I learned – I make resolutions because it keeps my desire for good change going and I’m discovering more good. I want to see a better world in the sense of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (KJV)” so even if the resolutions are simply a desire to see a continuation of the good of what’s happening, I find that to be helpful (and look for ways to contribute to the “continuation of goodness”, if you will).
Of course there is a significant population who refuse to make resolutions because among the reasons, they are cliche or we believe the line of thought “That if it was important for you to do it, you would already be doing it.” There’s some sound logic there and it’s probably why 80% of them fail (or 66% according to the less honest polls ;). There were a few years I chose not to make any and make fun of those that did. Part of it was few of my friends admitted they did, the other part was that I had a terrible track record with keeping them and the final part was that I was already full with life, I couldn’t imagine adding another thing.
In my mid-twenties I really embraced the idea of seeking and bringing change. I like change for the most part. Ever more, I saw the need for things that needed to change in the world, in the church, in my community and eventually in my own heart. The latter needed to start changing in order to affect any of the others.
So I believe here’s the challenge for all of us and the basis of my argument. We see the problems of the world throughout the windows of our lives – why not further resolve to do something more this year? Indeed, many are already doing all they can and each day they pray that God would multiply their efforts. But I suspect based on my limited personal experience that some could use the encouragement to begin or do more than they are already doing.
Choose a world/social issue that grieves you – maybe human trafficking, or bringing clean water to people. Learn about it, give towards it, share about it, help. Check out Invisible Children or Living Water International or Charity Water.
Choose a personal issue that grieves you – maybe a personal entrapment of some kind, or a desire to purify an aspect of your life. Take personal inventory, confront it, pray over it, seek God’s help.
Our pastor mentioned on Sunday that we tend to make resolutions because the entering of a new year logically makes us more aware to the idea that time is passing. I find truth in that. One of my ongoing ones is to be faithful with the opportunities God gives us. I briefly shared that at the evening service as an encouragement to do that collectively and I thought it was a good idea to pass that along here.
Let’s resolve something. Not because it’s that time of year but because there are many things in our personal lives and in our world that need resolving.
May one of our prayers be, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (NIV)”
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