res·o·lu·tion - a resolve or determination: the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.
Another year over… James could have penned no truer words than those describing life as a vapor. It really is, isn’t it? This day is always a bittersweet one for me. I always stand amazed at God’s provision throughout the year, but I am always left wondering if I’ve used what He has provided for His purpose and glory. I try to thank Him for the blessings He’ll bestow in the new year, but find myself on edge that this could be the year…we lose a loved one, the year we lose a job, the year someone we love turns from the truth, the year (you fill in the blank). The blank can be terrifying. And if you’re anything like me, you have probably found yourself piling it full of every horrible thing imaginable…even rummaging through old closets, digging up past failures and the disgrace they could bring and tossing them onto the blank with all the rest of the unthinkable. I have never been good at filling in blanks.
I used to be terrified of making New Year’s resolutions. Honestly, it still makes me a little sick to my stomach. Because, no matter how well-intended, mine have mostly been things that I was determined to see change…not necessarily things I was determined to do until the change came about. Some criticize resolutions, but it is important to remember that the difference Daniel made stemmed from what he had “purposed in his heart.”(Daniel 1:8) Historically, very little difference has been made where there was no one resolved to die trying. “And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 2:1) There has also been little accomplished where people resolved to stay the same. Even God’s Word is ineffective where people refuse to be changed by it.
I certainly am no scholar, but I have read enough of God’s Word in the last twenty years to know that it never implies passivity. “Do unto others” implies action. We are not commanded to just leave folks alone so they’ll leave us alone. We are to go beyond that, and actually do unto them what we would have done unto us…whether the favor is returned or not. (If any of my 7th & 8th graders are reading, they probably just rolled their eyes. I throw this one at them all the time.) We must be very careful to realize that merely wanting change, and even praying for it is, most often, simply not enough. If that were the case, the Bible would have no other command, besides prayer.
I am afraid we have turned our faith into some sort of voodoo, mind-over-matter mysticism, where we think as long as we want the right things, we’re right. Nothing could be farther from the truth! “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) This is an imperative command, and nothing about it suggests inactivity. Ephesians 6:13 “…and having done all, to stand.” The standing here certainly doesn’t mean passivity. Even if it did mean standing at rest, (and it doesn’t) it is only after we have “done all”. And, oh my dear friends, there is so much to be done!
It occurs to me when seeing the definition of resolution, that it really isn’t a certain action or task, but rather the driving force behind any accomplishment. It seems to me that it is a thing to be greatly desired. I know that my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He can (and so often does) provide miraculously, but may we never be guilty of taking His generosity for granted. Perhaps, instead of constantly asking for a quick fix, we should be asking for the resolution to accomplish something to please Him. And before you count your weaknesses, remember that “ye have not because ye ask not.”
So, here’s the list. As best I can know my own heart, I have purposed to do all I can to glorify God in these areas.
1. To be the wife and mother God has called me to be, above all…no matter what must become secondary to do so.
2. To be more real, more transparent, and more honest…no matter how difficult.
3. To stand.
4. To serve.
5. To speak.
6. To love…no exceptions.
7. To change. My God who changes not is nevertheless a God of change.
Go ahead. Make the list. This could be the year (you fill in the blank).
“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;” Psalm 65:11
