So many people have been posting their New Year's Resolutions on social media the past few weeks, and I have to admit- I have loved some and been annoyed by others. There are certain things in life where you can tell when someone is being genuine in what they say and commit to, and other times you can tell that people are only going through the motions without the commitment. Resolutions are one of those things I don't have overly strong convictions about. Yes, I think it is awesome to commit to being a better person in the Near Year, and yes, I think it is awesome to strive for new things we may not have had the courage to do the year before. However, why wait till January 1st to change and better ourselves? Why has society made Monday and New Years the "restart" moments for our lives?
Scripture tells us that the mercies of God are new everyday. Why can't we see our lives in the same light? Why must we wait to hit the reset button until a certain day of the week or year? Things will always go wrong, we will always be discouraged by things we do or didn't do, said or didn't say, and struggle with not feeling our best. It is because of this that I don't see New Years as a way to start over and hope for the best. Rather I see New Years as a reminder that God has washed us clean by the washing of His son. . . and guess what, I doubt that event happened on a Monday or January 1st.
I am in a place where I am striving to grow and change to be more like Christ everyday. If I didn't see this as a daily challenge to myself then I would constantly give up and wait around until the next week, continuing down the constant cycle of trying to be the best, not meeting my unrealistic expectations, and giving up until the next moment of motivation.
With that being said, I challenge you to view your New Year's Resolutions as something that you do not "fail" when you don't quite meet your expectations. Rather choose to view them as a constant decision to be the best individual you can be. God doesn't ask us to be perfect, nor do the people in our lives who love us and want the best for us. Trying our best and being perfect are two completely different goals, and honestly one of them is unrealistic. I will let you make that decision for yourself on which is which.
There is something beautiful about committing to something that will make you a better person and relying on God to help us hold to our commitments. Don't go into a challenge on your own. God is right there and wants to be a part of your journey. Want to know what I have found in life? (If you don't, sorry, I'm gonna say it anyways.) Whether it be a challenge for myself, making a big decision, or trying to continue on when life is hard, When I try to do something without God I am walking down the path to failure. I cannot win at life without God. Period. When He is a part of my life in all the little details, my life will reflect that and I will be living a life He is guiding me through. In life you are either walking to success or walking to failure. You are either walking with God or without Him.
This is your decision to make. Surrendering your life to Christ is not a one and done event. We choose daily to surrender our lives to Him and admit to Him that we cannot do life without Him. There is more to being a Christian than weekly church services, being nice, not using foul language, and avoiding those "sinful" places that people try to shove under the rug. Being a Christian is a relationship with the God of the universe. It's like a relationship between a man and a woman: without continued work and effort it will crumble and grow weak. When we strive to grow closer and closer with God our relationship with Him continues to grow deeper, stronger, and more beautiful.
I encourage you to think of your New Year's Resolutions in a bit of a different light after reading this. Don't think of it as a single chance to change something you dislike about yourself. Think of a resolution as another opportunity to surrender our own efforts to God and ask Him to come into our situation and give us strength, perseverance and patience to reach our goals.
-
-
Rather than doing New Year's Resolutions I pray and reflect on what word for the next few months I need to mold my life around and work towards. Last spring my word was patience. I am someone who really struggles with waiting on things, especially when I don't know what the future holds. I want to know what to expect now so I can plan for it and not be afraid or surprised. Last semester my word was trust. Things happened one after the other that I didn't understand, but I wanted to trust God that He had a plan and He was doing all this to protect me from whatever it was I couldn't see and prepare me for the future that I am patiently waiting for. My words overtime have began to come together and mold for a greater purpose and I love that.
For this semester, Spring 2019, I have chosen a word that really speaks to my heart right now and I honestly find difficult to comprehend at this point in my life but I know God gave it to me. Contentment. There are always things I want to do differently. There are always things I wish would happen now rather than later. There are always things I think I could do now but in reality I am not ready for. I need to look at my current place in life as a battle ground to fill my soul with His Word and truth. God knows what I need and what I can handle. I am in a time of preparation for whatever He has in store for my future. I also need to view my current place in life as a time to grow and encourage others who are where I have been in the past and who are also in the same place as me. I may see things come to be that I hope for and I may never experience certain dreams. Regardless of what my future holds, I want to trust God that my patience throughout this time of learning to be content will be worth it and His plan will be greater than I could ever have imagined.
-
-
Never be afraid to challenge yourself, but please, dear friend. . . Please give yourself grace and look at yourself through the eyes of Christ. He does not see you as a failure, He sees you as a child who gets up when they fall and tries again. Remember, when we bring God into those small areas of our lives things change and our lives reflect Him. So this year I challenge you to challenge yourself with realistic goals for yourselves that will draw you closer to God and encourage you into your identity in Christ. You are not a failure, you are a work of art that God is constantly working on. He is not done with you yet. Don't give up, keep working on yourself in the same way.
Even when you miss a step along the way, choose to get up and smile. Some of the best road trips happen when you have unexpected detours.
Even when you miss a step along the way, choose to get up and smile. Some of the best road trips happen when you have unexpected detours.
Happy 2019, my friend. Here's to a life filled with joy and growth. You can do it.
-Sarah Joy
No comments:
Post a Comment