NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

God doesn't have any calendars in heaven! But he does use time to help us navigate the activities of life. New Year Resolutions are made every December and I recently read that 25% of the resolutions are forsaken and often forgotten by the end of the first week in January. An article in Wall Street Journal in 2012 stated that 88% of all New Year Resolutions fail. However statistics also showed that those that make New Year Resolutions are 10 times more likely to succeed.

I really prefer using the term "goal" in place of "resolution." Setting goals are different then most resolutions in that with goals usually it is measurable and it has an end. For example, a New Year Resolution may say, "I am going on a diet the first of the year" but a goal says, "I have a goal to lose 20 pounds by March 30, 2017."

Do I set personal goals at the beginning of each year? Definitely! Do I accomplish all of those goals? Definitely not! But for me, setting goals are very important. It helps me to examine my past and look to the future to things that I need to personally accomplish.

My goals are personal but yet look like many others. Goals to eat better, exercise much, spend less, save more, pray effectively, and read a lot; goals to have better relationships with God, family and friends. Easy to say these things but now it is time to put it on paper. Take time today to list a few goals. Make them measurable and attainable. Set aside time each day to review and work on your goals. Set mile markers and deadlines for completion. Keep a journal of how you are doing and review on the first day of each month to see how you are progressing. Make it enjoyable and not a burden.

Earnest Hemingway once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Goals are important but the end result is what counts. Enjoy life, live with purpose, and fulfill God's plan for your life.

"By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us."  Eugene Peterson (The Message Bible)