Approaching the end of the first week of 2008 and there is a one in four chance that if you made a New Year’s resolution, it has already been broken! On a more encouraging note – only one in eight ‘resolvers’ make it through to the end of the year unscathed. But why do so many of us make New Year’s resolutions year after year? The end of another year provides a point in the calendar where we are encouraged to look back and look forward. Back at the year that has gone, with all its ups and downs; and forward with the hope that comes with a new year and a new beginning. Among favourite resolutions we find things like: lose weight and get fitter; spend more time with friends and family; learn something new; stop smoking…I wonder if anyone has ever compiled a list of Christian New Year’s resolutions? Not that they would be radically different from any other list, but they might include things like: pray more; read my Bible more; give more…
Whilst these are all good things they reveal, as do all resolutions, that we’re not particularly happy with who we are now, and we’re conscious that we don’t match the ideal that we have set for ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously. Ultimately our resolution, as Christians, should be ‘to be more like Jesus’, but vague resolutions are the most likely to fail. ‘I’m going to get fitter’ is not a good resolution, whereas ‘I’m going to run for 15 mins on a Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm’ is specific and is more likely to lead to the goal – ‘I’m going to get fitter’.
Of course, we don’t need to wait until 1 January to look to make a clean start. Jesus continually offers us that promise – when we confess our sin we experience forgiveness and a new start (1 John 1:9). There is no time like the present.
I think another mistake people make in their resolutions is being too ambitious, too soon. If the attempt to get fit requires 4 10 mile runs a week, and 3 90 minute sessions is the gym then we're probably destined to failure. Start small and work up. This equally applies with our spiritual disciplines. We know that praying and reading the Bible are important for the Christian. But if, on Jan. 1, you set yourself the target of 1 hour of Bible reading followed by an hour of praying each morning before work, the chances are that your resolution has already come unstuck. But if you build up gradually, you will save yourself the discouragement that comes from being over-ambitious.
The Christian is a part of a worldwide family – with a local expression, called the church. Those with resolutions to give up smoking or drinking, or to lose weight, know the importance of being involved with others. And this is true for the Christian too. You are much more likely to succeed in your resolutions if others are involved with you. This might be a house group or it might simply be a friend who texts/emails you each day. Agreeing to pray with a friend at work each day is more likely to see results than going it alone. We live very individualistic lives yet we are called to be a part of a community.
As far as what our resolutions should be I’ll leave that to you…
