No Resolutions

I don't make New Years resolutions.
Haven't made them in years, and I won't be making any this year.

We see them on television, read about them in magazines, in fact we've been talking about making resolutions for 2010 since October. By not making New Year's resolutions has nothing to do with me not seeing that my life needs some improvements. (Additional exercise, existing more in prayer, and cutting down on coffee could be starters)
Thinking back to my first encounter with resolutions, I was in the 8^th grade, our teacher asked that everyone in the class make New Year's resolutions, capture them on a piece of paper, then staple them to the bulletin board. At the end of the month, our teacher had our class revisit the resolutions we then recorded how well we had done on creating good habits.

My 2003 Resolutions 1.) Stop biting my nails 2.) Write to my great-grandmother more often 3.) Read my Bible every day.

I did stop biting my nails, I started writing to my great-grandmother regularly, but reading my Bible daily wasn't a habit that stuck. How many of us have made resolutions only to forget about them a month later? If we are able to discard resolutions this easily, why do we even waste the time making them if they aren't worth us even dedicating ourselves to them from the beginning?

Of these three resolutions reading God's word definitely seems like the most important, yet the one that I didn't make changes in my life to meet. This experience with resolutions has caused me to really question what it looks like to continuously be improving one's life. What kind of commitment and effort does it take to make changes in one's life? Why do some resolutions stick and some seem to slowly disappear?
The apostle Paul knew the day that he was met on the road to Damascus by the God of the Universe, he would forever be changed. Reading of his sermons throughout most of the New Testament, you can read his conviction and his commitment to serving God. It didn't matter what kind of suffering he encountered, it was all worth it.
The lifestyle changes that occurred in Paul's life were a result of him wanting to fulfill a greater purpose in life. Granted, the resolutions that we are talking about probably aren't out to make huge, radical changes in our lives such as Paul. But how can we take his example to make some positive changes in our own lives.

1. Identify the changes you want to make
2. How do these changes result in a greater purpose to your life?
3. Create a game plan for how this will look in your daily life.
4. Understand what you're willing to sacrifice to live out this greater purpose.
5. Consider the outcomes of what such a change may do.

In my own life, when I was a sophomore in high school I revisited the resolution of reading my Bible daily. This time though it wasn't a resolution that I posted on a wall, it was a decision that I made one night at Wednesday night youth group. Since then I have made daily changes to set aside time to dive into God's word. The time that I spend in the middle of His word is one of the greatest investments of each day. My life, heart, and character have changed since making this commitment. It may look crazy from the outside getting up an hour earlier, but it's a sacrifice that I've been blessed to make as it means spending time drawing closer to our Creator.

This one commitment has become a part of a document…maybe I'll share it sometime. Some may call it a bucket list or lifetime goals. It contains big goals for life such as returning in London with my mom someday to smaller commitments like write to my family weekly. Everything in this document leads to a greater purpose in life. These changes didn't start because of a New Year's Resolution, but because I consciously want to be continuously growing into the person God created me to be. Perhaps, January 1^st is the day that you do want to start making a lifestyle change such as, eat less sugar, exert more patience, spend more time complimenting others, or to give up television …it must start with reaching for a greater purpose.

Are your resolutions reaching towards a purpose in life? Are they more glorifying to God and reflecting you as His creation? What commitment can you make that can lead you to a closer relationship with God?

There is only one real purpose to each of our lives, how are you moving towards it today?