Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year's Resolutions

This year my resolutions are to grow my hair out, shrink my waist and move the fat to other areas of my body, write a book, spend less time on Facebook, read the Bible in one year and run a 5K for some charity. In actuality, none of these things will probably happen this year. In fact, a few years ago, I resolved to stop making resolutions since I seemed to give up after 3 weeks and then felt like an incredible failure that I never achieved any of my lofty resolutions for the new year.

Why do we make New Year’s resolutions? According to this site: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-New-Years-Resolutions&id=245213 The tradition began in 153 B.C with a mythical king of early Rome, Janus. He had two faces: one that looked at past events and one that looked at to the future. Janus represented resolutions in which Romans received forgiveness from their enemies and began their new year exchanging gifts.

There is also a reference that the Babylonians created this tradition 4,000 years ago to the gods’ to get favor. It was considered bad luck if a resolution was broken according to this site:http://www.examiner.com/x-22551-Mesa-Elementary-Years-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m12d29-History-of-New-Years-Resolutions

As a Christian, I would rather live my life by the Word of God. According to the Bible, old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). I do not have to be bound by guilt or shame. I don’t have to create resolutions that I will break in 3 weeks. Instead I can embrace the truth of God. God says that we are His masterpiece and that He created us anew in Jesus, so we can do the good things He has planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10).

So instead of making resolutions, let’s look for the good things that God created us to do. Let this be a year that we do the purposes of God and in doing that we will find fulfillment. We will be able to look back on 2010 knowing we have obeyed God and accomplished His will.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I always set goals for myself I never keep. I like your list though. I wouldn't mind the fat moving around my body either. Let me know how that works out for you.