Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions: What if God Wrote the List?
Statistically, most of us have abandoned our New Year’s resolutions by now. In fact, research shows 80% of resolutions are abandoned by the second Friday in February, Quitters Day. Only 9% make it to the end of the year.
If you find one of those 9% stickers, can you let me know? I want to shake that person’s hand!
So many of us head into the new year with stars in our eyes, keen for a fresh start and new beginning. We have great intentions, a solid plan and a heart full of hope. But it doesn’t take long for reality to bite. Hard.
We stare at our weight loss goals, chocolate in hand. We sit on the couch, gym clothes in the corner of the bedroom, full of remorse, a deflated failure. Sigh.
So, I have determined this year to rethink New Year’s Resolutions. Last year, around this time, I wrote a post about why I thought we should write our resolutions in February rather than the beginning of the year. (READ IT HERE) This year, I’m taking it one step further and abandoning writing my own resolutions altogether.
This year, instead of chasing better habits, I’m asking a better question:
If we asked God to write our New Year’s resolutions, what would be on the list?
What are the goals and habits that God wants me to work towards?
What are the intentions that He would set?
What word of the year would God give me to focus on?
If God looked at my to-do list, my calendar and my budget, what changes would He suggest?
As I’ve sat with God this January and asked Him to impress upon my heart His intention for me this year, these are the four resolutions I will be taking into the new year, and none of them are about exercise, diet or budget.
1. I Resolve to Love God
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” —Mark 12:30
When a teacher of religious law asked Jesus what the most important law was, without hesitation, Jesus answered with this one: Love God. Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love God with everything you are.
Love God with our desires, longings, hopes and dreams. Love God with our identity and sense of self. Love God with our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Love God with your body, how you move in and inhabit the world. I resolve to love God.
This commandment is an invitation to deeper affection and trust in a God who loved us first, a God who loved us so much He sent His Son to die in our place so we could be in relationship with Himself.
What does this actually look like? How do we love God?
If we write “Love God” on our to-do list, what do we actually do?
For me, it’s putting everything in my life through a filter: Does this bring me to closer to God? This activity, this relationship, this content I’m consuming, this conversation I’m having… does it draw me toward God, or pull me away?
As we fill our lives with the things that draw us close to God and eliminate the things that turn us away, we will learn to love Him more fully.
Reflection question: What would it look like to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and respond to Him out of love rather than obligation?
2. I Resolve to Love Others
“Love your neighbour as yourself.” —Mark 12:31
Loving others is a natural outflowing of our love for God.
However, loving others is hard. It’s inconvenient, time-consuming, expensive and takes a lot of energy.
In Luke 10, the Teacher of the Law has a follow-up question for Jesus. When Jesus says, “Love your neighbour as yourself”, the teacher asks, “Who is my neighbour?”
Jesus doesn’t answer the question. He tells a story. We know it as the Good Samaritan.
A man who, finding someone in need, stops what he’s doing to care for them. He cleans and binds his wounds, takes him to a safe place and pays for his ongoing care.
This is the story Jesus tells to demonstrate what it looks like to love our neighbour.
Loving others requires us to posture our hearts towards others, to listen and notice people, and it requires capacity – in our time, energy and attention, and even our finances.
It’s easy for us to be too busy to love, so this year, I resolve to create space and capacity in my life for unexpected opportunities to love people.
Reflection question: Do you have the capacity to love your neighbour?
3. I Resolve to Grow in Godly Character
While the language of the New Year is often focused on goals, achievements, results and growth, God is much more interested in my character than my productivity. The evidence of the Spirit at work in our lives is the growing fruit of the Spirit. This is what godly character looks like.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22–23
While we may agree that our character is as important as our competence, it is hard to put in a to-do list or habit tracker. We don’t often write ourselves a character development plan.
So, how can we be more fruitful, growing the Fruit of the Spirit in our character?
There are two keys I see. Firstly, an intentional practice of self-reflection. I find journalling helpful in character development. I write what I’m doing, and what I think and feel about it. The practise of self-reflection helps me to identify problems and seek to improve.
The second key is to have close, safe relationships with people who know us and love us well enough to speak the truth in love. This is why Christian community, small groups and accountability partnerships are so important.
Reflection question: What would it look like for you to nurture your godly character this year?
4. I Resolve to Enjoy God
I was listening to a James Clear podcast the other day. One of the aspects of developing good habits he talked about is the importance of making the habit your trying to develop fun. For example, if you want to exercise regularly, it’s important to choose an exercise you enjoy doing. If you don’t love running, try swimming or playing tennis. We will never continue a habit we don’t enjoy doing.
So, I ask myself this question:
What if being a fully devoted follower of Jesus was actually fun?
I know, life isn’t all fun and games.
There is a lot in the New Testament about self-denial, sacrifice and surrender.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
But self-denial is never an end in itself; it is always a substitution. We die to ourselves so that we can come alive in Christ. We give up something of ourselves so that God can give us something better. Following Jesus should fill us with joy. It should be fun.
“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:1–2
God doesn’t just want us to serve and obey, but also to delight in Him and enjoy a rich and satisfying, abundant life with him.
Reflection question: How can you make following Jesus more fun?
One area where this has worked for me is in my Bible reading practice. I have always loved God’s Word and have read through it countless times, but a few years ago I decided to make it more fun.
I purchased a beautiful new Bible. It has a pretty cover and wide margins to write or draw in. It is a translation I enjoy reading. Rather than the fluro highlighters, I purchased a collection of brush pens in subtle colours I love. I have stickers and tabs in coordinating colours to highlight passages.
Rather than following a Bible reading plan, I am enjoying reading, highlighting themes and noticing connections. I have an accompanying prayer journal where I copy out verses God impresses on my heart, and I record prayer requests and gratitude each day. My devotional time is a highlight of my day—a time I look forward to and enjoy.
We all connect with God differently.
Create a playlist of worship songs you love
Spend time in nature, go to the beach, climb a mountain
Spend time with friends, play with your kids
Taste amazing food, listen to beautiful music, read great literature or poetry
Waste time with God, and make it fun.
These are my new New Year’s Resolutions:
I resolve to love God
I resolve to love people
I resolve to grow in godly character
I resolve to enjoy God
Do you need to rethink your New Year’s resolutions for this year? Are your priorities in line with God’s priorities? I invite you to take your goals and vision for this year to God in prayer and ask Him to examine them.
Blessing for the New Year.
