I was never very good at keeping New Year’s resolutions, so many years ago I made a New Year’s resolution not to make any more New Year’s resolutions, and so far, I’ve kept that one.
But the new year and the turning of a calendar page can’t help but remind us of a few things which can and do promote healthy changes in our lives.
Maybe you’re into making resolutions, but even if you are not, it’s good to take the opportunity of a new year to reevaluate our lives and maybe tweak our preferences, just as we modify the “settings” on the programs and apps we use each day. So what settings might we rethink? In no particular order. . .
Our health settings. Am I eating what I should? For years in this country we suffered under the very unscientific “food pyramid” which overloaded us with carbs. We also are bombarded incessantly with commercials for various types of salty and sugary snacks, so it’s no wonder our obesity rate passed forty percent this year. Let’s face it, we are taking comfort in our comfort food.
And of course, there is exercise. Joining a health club or spa creates one of the most often broken resolutions, I would wager. But there are many creative ways to get exercise, even if movement is not required in our work. Just remember that there is no exercise program that will outrun a poor diet, and that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If that doesn’t motivate you, nothing I say ever could.
Our Godward settings. Our spiritual health will be in direct proportion to our interactions with a spiritually alive local church. If you are not involved in a local church, and are still wondering why you feel like you are in the doldrums, that might be why.
If you are involved in a spiritually vibrant church, and still are in the doldrums, ask yourself what part the Bible is actually playing in your life. Once-per-week sermons or a three minute devotional page every day is not a substitute for a life of interaction with God. It’s not complex. We read His Word, we meditate upon what we have read. We respond to His Word in our thoughts, prayers, and actions.
When all of that is in place, and we still feel “stuck,” have a talk with a trusted, mature Christian friend, and privately share your thoughts and concerns with him/her. God will show you a way forward. He is never far away. If it feels like He is, ask yourself who moved. And remember, ups and downs in a fallen world are not unusual, and you are not alone in feeling the way you do. The Psalms record the full range of human emotions. Pray them, better, sing them back to God as He intended.
Our relational settings. Who are your friends, and are they helping you or hurting you? We may be a little lazy when it comes to exploring new friendships, and sometimes we need to face reality and admit we are hanging with the wrong crowd. Remember, we don’t get to choose our family, but we do choose our friends. Choose wisely.
Our mind’s settings. Many people live to be 80 or 90, but never grow wiser, because rather than living 80 or 90 new years, they live the same year over 80 or 90 times. Recently a man told me that he hasn’t read a book that had no pictures in it since high school. He wasn’t bragging, but still it was sad. God has given you a brain and an imagination. Don’t waste them on Internet gaming and cat videos. Challenge yourself. Get a Kindle, read a book, take a class, explore a new topic online, help someone who clearly needs help. Don’t stifle your imagination or let your soul harden in place.
So, if you are making some resolutions, good for you! If you aren’t, no judgment here. But maybe, just maybe we can find it in ourselves to tweak a setting or two.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
Psalm 32:8