You don't need resolutions, because you have God
Pastor Alice Warness
This is the time of year for new starts and New Year’s resolutions. We make plans to lose weight, clean the house, give to the poor and anything else we can think of that would make us better human beings.
We have just come off of the holiday season where everyone is encouraged to give back to society. I know at the school where I work, we adopted 12 underprivileged families for whom to buy gifts.
A list of needs was posted and the students overwhelmingly responded to supply those needs. There was also a contest to see which classroom could bring the most canned food for the food bank.
Teachers and students were participating in community service and it was wonderful so see. Exciting feel-good moments for everyone! But now what?
We have indulged in the good feelings and the good food of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons and we are feeling really good about ourselves. Most likely, a few pounds have been added to our bodies and the media is now telling us to make some changes.
During January, exercise equipment goes on sale and household organization systems hit the market. We are being told to get rid of the gluttony and clean up our lives. In short, we need resolutions!
But do New Year’s resolutions really play a part in the Christian life? I personally don’t think so. I don’t like them and I don’t make them. I have noticed that people who do make resolutions tend to break them within the first two months of the year. Actually some people don’t even make it a week.
The reason resolutions don’t work is because they rely on human willpower only. I tried giving up chocolate at one point in my life. I utterly failed because, where chocolate is concerned, I have no willpower.
Instead of resolutions, we should be looking at God’s commandments. In Matthew 22:40, Jesus gives us the two most important commandments: “You shall love your God with all your soul and with all your mind” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
If you put God first in your life, you will receive God’s grace. You will find peace and happiness that just can’t be accomplished on your own.
I know the closer that I grow to God, the easier my life becomes in all areas. I am able to handle crisis better, my income always seems to meet my needs, my job is easier and family relationships are a lot more peaceful.
Those are things I just can’t buy or donate. If you follow the first commandment, the second one becomes easier. You can donate things that you don’t need any more to charity all year long. Food banks need supplies every month and not just in December.
Caring for others can, and should, be continual. As Christians we need to be like Jesus Christ all year. If you can do this, there will be no need for once a year resolutions.
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