Happy New Year and welcome 2018!
Every new year we consider it as new beginning. Another chance to start and another opportunity to make a significant change in our lives. For some of us we already start making plans throughout the year and and some start listing down and writing things that they will stop or start doing. We normally call it a “New Year’s Resolution”.
So what exactly a “New Year’s Resolution” is?
According to wikipedia.org, A New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life.
A new year’s resolution contains a goal or set of goals that needs to be accomplished throughout the year. Popular goals includes resolutions to:
* Improve physical well-being: eat healthy food, lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, stop biting nails, get rid of old bad habits.
* Improve mental well-being: think positive, laugh more often, enjoy life.
* Improve finances: get out of debt, save money, make small investments.
* Improve career: perform better at current job, get a better job, establish own business.
* Improve education: improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music), study often, read more books, improve talents.
* Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent, perhaps watch less television, play fewer sitting-down video games.
* Take a trip.
* Volunteer to help others, practice life skills, use civic virtue, give to charity, volunteer to work part-time in a charity organization.
* Get along better with people, improve social skills, enhance social intelligence.
* Make new friends.
* Spend quality time with family members.
* Settle down, get engaged/get married, have kids.
* Pray more, be more spiritual.
* Be more involved in sports or different activities.
* Spend less time on social media. (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc.)
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So do you have a New Year’s resolution? I do and I did have last year. Unfortunately I would say that I wasn’t able to comply 100% with the set of resolutions I had back then. A certain study shows that only 8 percent of people actually keep their New Year’s resolution. The most common reason for participants failing their New Years’ Resolutions was setting themselves unrealistic goals (35%), while 33% didn’t keep track of their progress and a further 24% forgot about it. About one in 10 respondents claimed they made too many resolutions.
I’m pretty sure that you already experienced listing down a resolution that you failed to comply or finish. In any case that you were able to keep all of your resolutions then that’s great! I envy you! Haha! You’re the best! But… do we really need to set up a New Year’s resolution every year?
I would say that we all need to make plans. We have to make sure that we have a goal in life. A purpose as to why we actually exist. Life is a journey, and is an exciting one. We need to have goals to improve and make our lives better. There are times that we also need to stop and/or start doing something. A new year’s resolution is a great and nice opportunity to make a new start but everyday can also be a new start. We can always change, set goals, and make plans whenever we want. It actually doesn’t have to wait until after New Year’s eve.
But how should we start?
There are a lot of books, articles and knowledgebase media applications that can give you tons of information when it comes to life goals, goal setting, and creating the best New Year’s resolution. But for me, before we actually start working on our resolutions, we need to first start knowing the SOLUTION.
The solution to whatever we’re about to put in our New Year’s resolution.
The solution for all of our plans to succeed.
The solution for us to have a bright future ahead.
The solution for us achieve our goals this year and the coming years.
The solution for us to change.
The solution which is Jesus Christ.
Yes, Jesus Christ is the solution.
Because of Jesus we have been redeemed and regained access to all of God’s words and promises.
“But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:13 NLT
We were once far away from God and does not have full access to His promises. All of our plans are actually bound to fail apart from God.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21 NIV
We need God in our lives. We need Him to direct us, to help us, and provide for us. We are incomplete without Him and our New Year’s resolution can be considered null without Him. God is the best director of our lives. He directs our path to make sure that we can walk in abundance. He is the one who will sustain us, preserve us and will help us until completion.
That is why we really need to know the solution first. We need to know who Jesus is. Know Jesus, accept Him and then God will show us the way regarding on how we are supposed to live our lives this 2018. We will be able to come up with a Spirit guided New Year’s resolution or maybe an actual plan for our future.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
It is great to have a New Year’s resolution but it is incomplete without the actual solution. Jesus is the solution, a free solution with no risk at all. So as you write down your plans for this year or your New Year’s resolution make sure to include the SOLUTION.
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