Resolutions

Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of 2017 and there is the hope, or rather the promise, that the new year has mercies anew. Last year may have been a rough year, a year you didn't think you would survive, but here you are in another year and with you is the potential to make this year better. Yes, there will always be circumstances outside of our control that can drastically shape our year, but there are also circumstances within our control that can effect our year as well. Typically, today is the day that we reflect on 2016 and make resolutions for 2017, but how many of those resolutions end up accomplished? I believe resolutions have a tendency to fail because they are just good ideas for our lives, rather than will or a plan to succeed. I can have a resolution to lose weight or get into better shape, but that isn't a plan and that resolution isn't motivation on a day when I am tired or not feeling well. The point isn't to bash resolutions, because they are a good place to start, but to begin to think beyond them and begin to achieve lasting results. 

This year I thought it would be interesting and maybe even more motivating if I let someone else pick one of my resolutions for 2017. Who knows you the best? Go to that person and ask them what resolution they think you should make for 2017. This isn't for the faint of heart. Many times people think things about us that we didn't know or thought were hidden features of ourselves. In order for this to work the person needs to be able to be honest with you and that isn't going to be easy. Maybe you are a shy person and your spouse has noticed that your shy attitude has held you back at work and prevented you from achieving what you have been working for your entire career. Your spouse might give you the resolution to talk to more people at work and to share your ideas at meetings. This isn't going to transform you overnight, but you will be reminded that you need to try because your spouse is rooting for you and this is their success too. Or maybe you have a tendency to turn down new experiences and your friend might give you the resolution to try at least one new thing this year. You would then have someone willing to try new things with and 2017 would be a year with new experiences and new memories. I understand that asking someone else for your resolution this year is scary and maybe this is too much for you this year, but I have a few ideas of how to begin to think beyond your resolutions that might be equally effective in allowing you to achieve success.

Resolution #1: Rest and Recharge

Mark 3:7 says, "Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the seas." Jesus, the perfect son of God, needed time to withdraw from society, rest, and recharge. He encouraged His disciples to do the same. The world frowns upon the idea of rest and gives the impression that human beings should be more like robots that work constantly, but even robots need to be recharged. Our electronic devices can only run so long before they have to be plugged in to recharge and other devices require battery changes. There isn't a single person or object in the world that can run continuously without being connected to a power source at some point. This should be a point of comfort for you; it is ok to rest and recharge. This year take time to withdraw, to rest, and to recharge. Draw upon the greatest power source, our Lord and Savior, and move forward into 2017 full of power. 

Resolution action plan: take a trip to the beach, go for a walk in the park, spend a day at home resting

Resolution #2: Your Body The Temple

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." I believe this passage from 1 Corinthians is often misused and used to condemn individuals who are not fit, but a fit body is not an indication it is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Many people, regardless of their fitness level, do not love or care for their bodies. Their bodies bring them shame and self-loathing, but the Bible says that we should think of our bodies as temples. We should love our bodies and take care of their well-being. Would we allow filth to pollute our church? Then in a similar way we should be mindful of what we allow to enter our body. This is more than about food or fitness. The body can be polluted by more than what we eat. Jesus said that what we eat is expelled from us, but what is in our heart stays with us. Taking care of the body begins with loving the body and believing the body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, whom we have received from God. 

Resolution action plan: eat healthier foods that give your body strength, increase your activity level and strengthen your heart, limit the amount of filth that you allow into your daily life, immerse yourself in Godliness

Resolution #3: Do Unto Others

Matthew 7:12 says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 is the Golden Rule for how we should deal with one another. If we want someone to be compassionate towards us when we make a mistake then we ought to be compassionate towards others when they make a mistake too. As much as we are able, we need to treat others with the love, compassion, and mercy that we would want others to give us if the positions were reversed. This is not always easy because there are some things that we wouldn't do and they become unforgivable in our eyes, but Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and to forgive as we would want to be forgiven. Perhaps we can't put ourselves directly in their shoes, but sin is sin in God's eyes and if we would want God to forgive us for our own sin then we need to forgive others of their sin. Treating others with love, compassion, and mercy can be difficult when we think of them in their differences, but Jesus died for all of us and therefore they are God's children with us. No one is apart, but rather we are one in the kingdom of God. 

Resolution action plan: think of others as you would yourself, be kind to one another, forgive easily, show compassion, be merciful

These are just a few Biblical resolutions to start off your new year and I hope that you find the action plans for each helpful in achieving success this year. What are your resolutions for 2017? Do you have any tips for achieving success in resolutions? Leave a comment below and let me know.