New Year's Resolutions

This what I would have posted at the first of the year if I was in town. I first wrote this back in 2011. Over time I continue to come back to it as a way of keeping my commitments rooted on solid footing. I hope the your New Year has already been a blessed beyond your imagination. 

Made any New Year’s resolutions?  You might be thinking, “Why bother?  I would just break them anyway!” or, “It’s just a waste of time.” 

Besides, where did we get the notion that there should be “resolutions” just because it is the New Year anyway? 

The New Year’s celebration is the oldest of all “seasonal” celebration.  It began in Babylon (we call that land Iraq to day) nearly 4,000 years ago.   And, you guessed it, they also started the notion of making a resolution to change something in their lives at the turn of the year.

Interesting is that their #1 resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

Let me share the top ten New Year’s resolutions as gleaned from the internet:

1)       Spend more time with family & friends.

2)       Exercise more & regularly

3)       Tame the bulge

4)       Quit smoking

5)       Enjoy life more

6)       Quit drinking

7)       Get out of debt

8)       Learn something new

9)       Help others (volunteer)

10)    Get organized

Do you see yourself in this list?  I would have to confess that I see more than one on the list that applies to me and my life.  In fact, there is only 2 or 3 which I would NOT need to make. 

The challenge is this: 1) Am I going to make the resolution? 2) How committed will I be to make the change? 3) Do I really, really, really want to make the change? 4) What, if anything, am I going to do about it?

It is never easy making changes.  None of us embrace the concept of change with eagerness because if we did we won’t be in the shape we’re in … now would we?

And yet … there ARE those certain areas in my life which, if I would be honest, that really do need to be changed.  This is true, especially if I believe that my body, mind and spirit is a holy temple of my God; that everything about what I am and what I am about should honor God; that I am a living testimony to the Almighty Father – who created me, saved me and sustains me. 

Would it be possible to choose just one from the top ten list – just one – and see what can be done about it?  Failure often results when we make a list of ten things instead of just one.  Failure results when we take on too much at one time. Failure comes when we do not get instant results. We will fail if we try to accomplish everything, but success could be ours if we tried to address just one and try to accomplish that in small daily steps.  How about it?  Are you game?

Quote for today: A resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible. ~ Thomas Hardy