Of Resolutions and the Mundane Life

            I don’t like making New Year’s resolutions. Part of my reluctance has to do with a poor track record in following through with my resolutions. But, I also think that we need to be making resolutions throughout the year. If I see an area of my life that needs change, why wait until January 1 to work on that issue? Why not, instead, make a monthly resolution? So, I am against New Year’s resolutions; however, I am not against resolutions. I find it important for us to make resolutions in order to rise to a greater level of expectation. It is too true that we often sink to the lowest common denominator, but if we resolve to improve, and have a goal in mind, we are much more likely to make real, healthy change.

            I have been thinking a lot about resolutions, especially as they relate to our everyday lives. Let’s face it – our lives, in general are mundane. I realize there are times when crisis enters our lives. There are times when our schedules are hectic. But, in general, our hours, days, weeks, and months tick away in the morass of the mundane. How many days in the past two weeks have you done the same thing on a regular basis. If you’re like me, you wake up at about the same time each day, eat breakfast (and lunch and dinner) at the same time each day and generally eat the same things over and over. Your weekdays are spent going to work for a set number of hours. You wear the same 7-10 outfits over and over. You brush your teeth in the same pattern each day. You tell your kids you love them each day. You drive to the grocery store using the same path each time. You watch the same old TV show each week (and sometimes watch it even when you have already seen it before). You probably do laundry on the same day, fill up your gas tank at the same gas station, and go to bed at the same time each night. Sure, there might be some interruption to the routine, but in general your days pass by, one after another, with little variety.

            It is in these times of mundane activity that we can make resolutions, and in which we can see God so effectively growing us. Look over your past year or two. If you are walking with Jesus, do you see change in your walk with Him? Is there growth? Are you more spiritually mature? Can you think of things that you have asked God to develop in your life that, as you look back over time, you see that He has answered? If you cannot answer these questions positively, maybe it’s time to make a resolution or two.

            I have some resolutions to make. I just will not be making them on January 1. May the Lord bless you in the coming year.