Those Pesky New Year's Resolutions

Throughout the years, New Year's Resolutions have become somewhat of a joke in our society. We make ones that we know we won't keep, and therefore joke about it. The minute it becomes difficult to do, we give in and say "oh well, no one ever keeps those anyway!"Some people have realized this and decided against even having these Resolutions. They know they will be the same person this year that they were last year, and shouldn't even try to do something differently.

Although all this might be true, there's nothing wrong with setting goals and trying to grow as a person. Currently, I have 8 resolutions. It's January 3rd and I have already broken 5 of them! After I broke them, I almost laughed and said "oh well!" I thought, Should I give up? Should I try again? Should I only really be dedicated to a couple? My next thoughts were, you're not good enough to actually do these things. You're too lazy and unmotivated to persevere. You don't really care enough about yourself to finish these things. This thought has some truth to it. Of course I can't change my ways within one days time, and of course I can't constantly stay dedicated 24/7. So if that's true, then why did I ever have these goals in the first place?

I'm not saying not to make New Year's Resolutions. I think they are healthy and very important. But sometimes we can't do it all on our own. We can't trust ourselves to make the right decision and say no to temptation when it comes down to it. We are selfish, lazy, proud, and arrogant. It's a part of being human. Despite all this, we shouldn't give up at the first sign of failure, because although we can't do it alone, we can do it with Christ. Anytime you are about to dig up that ice cream from the freezer, pray to God to give you the strength to walk away and do something that will be better for you. If you keep hitting the snooze button, pray the night before that God will give you strength in that moment of selfishness to get up early and read your Bible instead. If you're about to hit that "Play Next Episode" Button on Netflix, pray that God will put it in your heart to want to read a book or spend time with a friend instead.

We shouldn't try to rely on our human nature, will, and self-determination. All this will fade away and fail in the long run. Instead, rely on the unfailing God. He will help you in your moment of weakness, if only you let him.