Resolutions Revisited

Resolutions Revisited

At the close of every year many folks find themselves in recollection and real reflection of the past 365 days of their lives. Regardless of whether we perceive our past 12 months to be joyous or regretful, many will dare to participate in the ritualistic act of establishing new goals and personal decrees for ourselves for the upcoming year.

I often find that many of us will create these “new” objectives for the year that, truth is, aren’t new and innovative in the least. I personally grew weary of drafting the same resolutions year after year that were totally rooted in selfish gain and egocentric ambition. Hundreds of news articles, TV commercials, and even some sermons also seemed to promote a type of self-centered thinking and practice. “How to loose 60 pounds and look good by February….Find the job of your dreams this year….Land the house of your dreams”…, etc. Any of these sound familiar?

I am not suggesting that we negate all personal and private goals for ourselves. We need well defined goals to help us stay focused in life. Rather, I am simply suggesting that we also make every effort this year to move beyond the self and be carriers of peace, power, and love for someone else.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Let NOTHING be done in selfish ambition and conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

I strongly believe that God wants us to live abundant, well-balanced lives. This, to me, includes loving and nurturing others just as much as we love on ourselves.

The sweet irony of this shift in focus is that by directing your intentions towards empowering others, you too, will be empowered and will reap in prosperity. Trust and believe in this principle. Proverbs 11:25 declares that “a generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

So with this truth in mind, I am proposing something different for myself and others this New Year. For every one resolution you develop for personal edification, develop one that is strictly targeted at edifying another. Begin with small, simple, realistic goals. For example,

Resolution #1.
Talk behind someone’s back regularly.
Once a week, for a year, spread the word to several others about the talents or accomplishments of a coworker, spouse, or salesman at your favorite store.

OR

Resolution #2.
Commit to sending a random and anonymous “love” note, letter, or package to someone in need once a month.

OR

Resolution #3
Each time someone has seriously offended you, do or say something kind and sincere in return. (This will feel very unnatural to most at first, but it produces so much good!!)

By practicing love and kindness on a regular basis we really ARE changing our reality and the world we live in. This new existence is created for us and THROUGH us by one random acts of kindness at a time.

Let’s invest our energies in something that will yield the long term results we crave for every New Year. After all, diets often fail. Get rich quick schemes will fizzle away. And the truth is that relationships often must come to an end. But LOVE NEVER FAILS.
(I Corinthians 13: 8a).

Let LOVE be the daily affirmation that inspires you this year!!!