The trouble with most New Year resolutions is that they are exactly that, a New Year decision that lasts as long as January 1st. I belong to a local Health Club where I usually swim 3 times a week. The post Christmas period is something of a nightmare as multitudes of newcomers displaying physical evidence of over indulgence during the festive season crowd into the pool. Clearly, these new recruits are driven by the determination to keep a New Year resolution following a bout of severe over-eating and drinking. So they become members of the club and give themselves to a disciplined exercise routine. But week by week in January the numbers drop off so that by the end of the month they're all gone and we're back to the handful of regulars that can be observed by our svelte, lean forms, that have been honed by the previous whole year's regular swimming routine. Resolutions are quickly made and quickly broken!
For many years I have taken myself on a retreat day at the turn of the year to reflect on the previous 12 months and consider the coming year. Armed only with a Bible, notebook and pencil I always find that something is impressed upon me for the coming year. The only resolution I make is that I won't treat this impression as a New Year resolution, but will see it as something to refer to and pray over during the coming 12 months. For me this has been extremely helpful.
To give an example, a couple of years back I found myself meditating on Ephesians 5:10 'And find out what pleases the Lord'. Over the next few hours 5 ideas emerged in my thinking that I felt would be some kind of answer to that text and would help me through the next year:
Live Righteously. For me this meant seeking to live up to what I am in Christ. The fact that God has declared me righteous, and that is a legal declaration of his view of me, is something that only comes as a result of the grace of God and through what has been achieved for me by the Cross of Christ. Although I have contributed nothing to that righteousness I can seek to live up to the righteousness that God has declared over me. I see it like this. I am legally the husband of my wife. For us we are in an unbreakable relationship of marriage. However I need to live up to what I legally am and really live out what a husband is meant to be. So as a Christian to live up to what we are is something that pleases the Lord.
Live Thankfully. There is plenty of encouragement for us to do that in the Bible together with a number of warnings that make it clear that God doesn't approve of grumbling. I realised though, as I thought about this, that it's one thing to keep saying 'thank you' and another to live with a thankful spirit. Our mind easily slips away to thinking about the times when we feel we've been overlooked or not appreciated or not properly rewarded. To live thankfully is to be grateful at all times for all our blessings and not to dwell on what we perceive to be our losses.
Live Fruitfully. For me, as a preacher, this can easily be all about giving a good sermon. I want to do that, but more than that. In every contribution I try to make to the Body of Christ I should be seeking to build up other members of the Body.
Live Generously. Sure, this has application to the giving of money, but not only that. For some of us giving money generously may be relatively easy. But there is a generosity of lifestyle that includes our attitudes to other people, together with patience, kindness and gentleness in the way we act towards others.
Live Courageously. To be a witness for Christ, not to compromise our integrity as Believers, to be open and transparent, not to run with the crowd, to stand against ungodly standards that may be the norm for our culture but are not made right simply by a majority of people being in their favour. All this can require courage today, but is how I want to live.
This wasn't some kind of formula for perfection, but it certainly gave me a template to check myself against and helped to fuel my prayer life. None of these were New Year resolutions, but they helped to give me a sense of direction and purpose in and through a new year.