Sunday, January 1, 2012

New Year's Resolutions

Its that time of year again when most people make New Year's resolutions. Some vow to diet until they reach their ideal weight. Some say they will work on a bad habit: they'll quit smoking or drinking or whatever. Some vow to spend more time with their families instead of work. 


There are as many New Year's resolutions as there are people on the planet and very, very few people could even tell you what their resolution from last New Year's eve actually was. Why is that? I think its because people start out with good intentions but lack the will power to see their intentions come to fruition. We don't start out the new year with the intention to fail but its hard to break a bad habit or begin to eat right just because the calendar has a new year number on the top. 


At the end of each year, there are some who breathe a sigh of relief that the year is finally finished. They have faced personal tragedy which made for a very difficult year. They look forward to better times in the year to come. They hope. A beginning of a new year can be a time of new beginnings but we don't have to wait for the calendar to reach Dec. 31st to turn over a new leaf or start over again. Isaiah 43: 16, 18-19 reminds us that God is in control of our days and He will give us a fresh start when we need it.



"This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

Sometimes we can feel that our life has just been a 'wasteland' or a 'wilderness'. We have had difficult times and can't see how it will ever get any better. If you are in a 'wilderness' time let me encourage you to read God's Word and allow Him to comfort you. He, alone, can take your 'wilderness' and turn it into something beautiful. 


As we begin this new year, let's remember that when we try to do things on our own, without God's help, we will usually fail, but if we ask God to help us with our resolutions, He will give us the strength that we need to see them flourish. God bless.

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