Resolute?

Darin asked me a couple days ago what my New Years Resolution(s) would be. I shrugged and said, "I don't need to make any. I am perfect just as I am." But seriously though, I have never been one to make resolutions. I don't get it. Ok, well I do. New year, fresh new start. But, I have never known anyone who has made a resolution and kept it. It's just silly, really. People don't change like that. Change comes from a deeper place than some well meaning yet empty promises at the New Year. Even superficial changes need a deeper motivation. The whole, 'this year I'm going to lose weight, exercise, stop smoking, eat more healthy, stop biting my nails,' etc., those outwardly efforts to improve oneself reflect an inner desire to be a better person.

Onward Christian soldiers...

If you want to truly want to lose old bad habits and learn some new ones, you have to look inside, do a little inventory and figure out what is really motivating you. You have to put in the time. They say it takes 40 days to develop a new habit. That takes commitment. Commitment requires motivation. Over all, I think most people make a New Years Resolution because they know they need to grow and change in certain areas of their life. That is a good thing to know about oneself. But without taking the time to work from the inside out, you know, getting to the heart of the matter, then you are doomed to fail. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that no one should ever make a resolution. I just challenge people to look deeper.

Please, sir, may I have some more?

So no, I won't be making any resolutions this year. That doesnt mean that I think I am perfect. It doesnt mean that I dont want to grow. It means that I don't have unrealistic expectations that some promise made to some invisible New Years Day deity will make me a better person. So instead, I will spend time looking inward and upward. I will continue to work on my attitude every day. I will examine my heart, then allowing God to speak into it, and bring about needed change. Not because it's a New Year, but because every day, its a new life. Now, that is something worth celebrating!!