This is why I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions

And what I do instead.

Luke 9:23

At the beginning of each new year, you may be wondering, “What should my New Year’s resolution be?” What plans should I begin to put in place, make an attempt at and then fail by January? Too honest? Most people don’t make it to half of the year having accomplished or continuing to follow their New Year’s resolution. Why is that?

Why do we make New Year’s resolutions in the first place? After looking back at the previous year, we see places where our lives can be enhanced, and that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with improving. But the reason why a lot of us fail is because of lack of consistency, lack of motivation or even lack of resources.

 Perhaps you’ve decided to change your diet or to spend more time with God. Whatever it is, sometimes it’s difficult to keep New Year’s resolutions and here’s why…

What’s a resolution?

According to history buffs, the first evidence of New Year’s resolutions came from the Babylonians 4000 years ago. It has been reported that the Babylonians celebrated the new year in mid-March and would make promises to their gods, regarding debts and returning objects they had borrowed. (https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions ) Therefore it’s safe to say that humans have been trying to set goals for the new year for millennia.

The word ‘resolution’ means ‘to make a firm decision to do or not to do something’. Here’s the thing, most people fail in their New Year’s resolutions because they fail to make continuous daily resolutions.
A good friend of mine always says ‘Practice makes permanent’, in other words, if you practice something each day little by little it will become engrained in your routine and ultimately become part of who you are. 

However, if you just jump up one morning and make a HUGE goal but you’ve never really committed to making smaller goals first, chances are you’re going to give up on that resolution by……ahem………February. 

Jesus asks us in Luke 9:23 to daily take up our crosses and follow Him. He wants us to make daily resolutions to become better people than we were yesterday. 

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

Setting God-centered goals

As Christians, God is supposed to be at the centre of all of our goal-setting. Whether it be health relationships or finance, we must seek out the will of God in our planning. It may be that God is opening a new door for you this year and he wants you to put some things in place. Or perhaps God is telling you that it’s time to move. Whatever it may be, it’s important to put God first.

By making a consistent effort to grow your relationship with Christ, He will continue to show you the path you should follow.  Here are some examples of God-centered New Year’s resolutions.

• I will read through at least one book of the Bible a month
• I will spend 30 minutes a day in prayer
• I will participate in ministry by volunteering in ______________ department at my church.

God doesn’t expect us to get everything right the first time we try something new. He is patient with us and is there for us when we make mistakes. One of the main reasons why so many people fail their New Year’s resolutions is because they are incapable of forgiving themselves when they mess up. God has made provisions for us when we mess up, it’s called ‘grace’.

When you fall or you miss a Bible study and you feel guilty about it, remember that the enemy plans to make you give up on your goals. The important thing is to keep going, keep asking God for guidance and keep praying.

By making daily continuous efforts to strive for our God-centered goals, we will see success and have a testimony of God’s life-changing grace. 

Make a resolution each day to become a better person than you were yesterday.

Prayer for Today:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the last twelve months. Thank you for seeing me through all of the ups and downs of life. Give me the strength to take up my cross daily. Give me the wisdom to follow you and be committed to your cause.

Amen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.