New Year's Resolutions

This time of year is always rough on me, because I usually come to the realization that my New Year’s Resolutions just aren’t working.

I don’t know why I punish myself year-in and year-out, but I guess old habits die-hard. My main resolution since the mid-seventies (when I was a very young yet very chubby lad) has been to lose weight and to live healthier. I’ve actually had some success in this area before, as, 15 years ago, I lost 64 pounds. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that, over the years, I’ve found 15 of those pounds.

These days my resolutions include my writing goals, but often I get sidetracked with those as well.

There is light at the end (or should I say the beginning) of the tunnel. A few years ago I happened upon the idea that God has some “resolutions” listed for us in the Bible. So, each year, along with the weight-loss and writing goals, I try to keep in mind some spiritual resolutions that God has for me:

Lose weights (Hebrews 12). God is constantly calling me to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset” me, to “run with patience the race that is set before” me. I don’t know about you, but I have unsightly weights like worry and procrastination that I need to lose. The Hebrews passage goes on to encourage me to look to Jesus as my example of endurance. Many times I want to give up the writing/publishing game or I procrastinate, but God is calling me to endure.

Drink more Living Water (John 4). Jesus once encouraged the woman at the well to drink of the Living Water, promising that she would never thirst again. Just as my physical body needs water to function properly, my spirit is in dire need of regular infusions of Living Water. My writing (as well as other areas of my life) is much richer when I spend consistent, quality time with Jesus, flooding my mind and soul with Living Water through prayer, Bible reading, and worship.

Exercise faith more (Hebrews 11, James 2). God constantly shows me that my faith only grows when I use it. It’s easy to get bent out of shape when things don’t go as planned on my timetable, but God wants me to stay in shape by exercising my faith, by trusting Him in the everyday challenges of life. Writing and seeking publication can be frustrating at times, but I have to continue pressing forward in faith.


So, why don’t you join me in trying to keep God’s resolutions?

Blessings, Carlton Hughes