More Than a Resolution
You probably did it more than once, and I have done it several times. And both of us know that generally it didn’t work out quite the way we planned it.
I am not saying that you can’t try it one more time, but I suspect you know that if you are going to make it work this time, then you probably should keep it simple and accept incremental progress.
Yes, it is that time where we millions of people make resolutions for the New Year. The themes of many of these resolutions will be related to many of the following things: health, weight, exercise, sleep, reading, learning a musical instrument, making friends, spending more time with family members, looking for new work, and on and on.
I suspect that most of us probably would benefit from being more thoughtful or disciplined about our physical and mental health, our relationships, and our work life. Researchers have discovered that when we write our goals down, we are more likely to do them. But writing things down certainly doesn’t guarantee success.
You can easily do a web search and find articles that will help you with achieving your goals. But as we start this year, I want us to think more about how scripture might remind us of ways to live that bring meaning, purpose, and life into this new year.
Proverbs 3:5-6 has given me a reset hundreds of times over the years. Solomon was known for his God-given wisdom. However, his life demonstrated that he didn’t always practice that wisdom in his personal life. I wonder if there were times when some of his wisdom writings gave him a reset as well. Here is a passage worth memorizing early in the new year. It is a wonderful reminder of how we can navigate both our daily tasks and help us stay the course in our relationship with God and with others.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
We know how many times we drift from trusting the Lord fully to leaning on what we know. You may be well educated and have lots of experience that can be used to be successful in many ways. Yet, the more we drift to thinking we know it all and can do it all based on our experiences, the more likely it is that we think we are self-sufficient and have no need, or maybe just occasional need, of God’s involvement in our decisions.
I have found that no matter how much I know about a thing or how many times I have seen and solved a certain problem, my knowledge and experience can and does often hit a wall. The promise of scripture is that when we trust fully in God and do not depend solely on self, then our hearts and minds are in the place where God can and will direct our paths.
Whether you make any New Year’s resolutions this year is completely up to you! But I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to daily chose to declare your trust in the Lord fully and not lean on your will power, your intelligence, or your experience to get you through this year. This year, our best path forward is to allow God to make our pathways straight because we choose to depend on him not just for guidance but for the fullness of life.
Father, we surrender ourselves to you as we enter this new year. We declare our trust and confidence in you as the giver of life through Jesus our Savior and King. Direct our paths to the places you want us to serve today and every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Photo by Pexels
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
