New Year Resolutions - Part 1

We started these reflections on the new year and resolutions by exploring God’s resolution in Christ for us, apart from us. He did what no resolve of ours could ever do. This gives us, as we saw, a new life, and not just a new year.

But today and tomorrow we are going to look at things we can do to bring change, and new resolve to our lives. God doesn’t do what we can and should do. He does what we cannot do.

Firstly, be realistic about goals to achieve and new habits to inculcate. We don’t do well if a task is overwhelming. This tends to demotivate us, which is the last thing you want when trying to set goals. Realism may be less appealing, but it will sustain resolution/s when things are uphill – when you feel like quitting. And quitting is a normal feeling. It isn’t a defeat in itself; setbacks need not set you off the path. It is easy to think that a small defeat is ruinous, but it isn’t, as small setbacks aren’t uncommon on the road to change. In fact, it is unusual not to have a setback. The problem is when we decide that a failure is proof of our weakness, or lack of real resolution when it is little more than proof we are human.

Start small, start achievable because it will strengthen your will and your resolve. Be modest as over-projection may be something you are doing to prove to others, as much as yourself, how resolved you really are. Public failure is difficult to get over, so add humility to modesty.

Having said this we need to be careful that we don’t set goals that demand nothing of us. This is akin to self-deception. We need to set goals that challenge us but don’t sink us. If we aren’t challenged, we won’t stretch ourselves, and stretching is vital to growing.

We need to avoid extremes: no gigantic steps and no teeny-weeny baby steps. But do put on your running shoes.