Goodness it got here fast. 2023 seemed to fly by. I do realize that, saving leap year, each year has precisely the same number of days and hours… but I will maintain that some years seem to go by faster… and, I might add – fuller. Full is a good until one’s plate is overflowing… then, not so much.
When I was a child we typically made New Year Resolutions. The challenge was to see who kept theirs the longest… rarely did any of my friends or I make it past mid-February. In the beginning I made incredibly long lists that rarely could ever have been kept. Wise woman that my mother was, she would suggest that we pare it down to 3-5. The point was to pick those character areas that needed refining and had a chance of lasting. To be perfectly honest… I gave up making these resolutions years ago, but when January 1st of a new year draws near, I do remember.
The idea of taking stock, of refining is an act that we should do a number of times throughout the year… not just once. And our determination (judging self) is a good practice so we know what it is we know and act on and why, and if we are acting on sound standards, and what we need to grow in and/or tweak. I don’t believe the process is ever a waste. Occasionally I would do a ‘variation on a theme’ when teaching. Some time during the semester I would create a little ‘test’ (ungraded) to see if we all were on the same page or someone got lost. The fun part was when the students would see that they had attained a goal and it was now time to set a new one… or the goal really wasn’t relevant and needed to be tweaked… or other discoveries. The same applies to us and our ‘new year resolutions’. Learning, growing, assessing, testing, developing, understanding, experimenting, applying… All are acts we should have at the forefront of our thinking so that we are becoming efficient and effective ‘workmen’ – 2 Timothy 2:15.
Life can really dictate your who/what/when/where/how and at times you didn’t realize. But if you aren’t involved in this process but only react, your learning suffers as does your health because it seems that we always are trying to catch up with our life in order to direct it There is a great deal that is our decision such as: renewing our mind, putting off the old man, putting on the new – we have all that is necessary to grow and to take our part/walk in our gifting. If fear is stopping you… remember the source of fear – our arch enemy. He uses fear and doubt to stop us in our tracks. The Lord tests but never tempts and never with an intent to see or cause us to fail. Yes, the Lord tests but that’s to help us know what we do know and what we need to know. Totally different set of motives.
If you do ‘fail’ then remember… you can always begin again. There are some lessons that I have repeated far more often than I needed to. Again… this is to help me to understand so that I can ‘shore up’ my weak spots. Another clue for us is that The Father never uses shame or blame… guess who does. All these clues are for us to know, so that we do act in confidence. So… try it. Make 2 or 3 ‘resolutions’ in areas you need to change, to mature in, and focus on them. And see your success.
Actually… New Year’s Resolutions can be a handy self-assessment tool.
