Topping the List

A brand new year has begun, so what’s on our minds, besides getting those Christmas decorations stored away? Resolutions, of course! There’s something about turning the page to a year with a different number that inspires change. If you’re like me, losing a little weight is part of that picture. I was recently explaining to a colleague that I now weigh just 15 pounds less than I weighed at full-term with my daughter, and she's not very old! Oh, how time, age, and (I’ll be honest) apathy take their toll!

Weight loss is probably the most common New Year’s resolution, but there are of course many others. Getting one’s home organized is one. There is something so freeing about ridding your home of unnecessary clutter, making room for what we truly need. With the current economy, perhaps developing – and truly living within – a realistic and responsible budget is on the top of the list for many of us. Endeavoring to spend more time with family is a noble and worthwhile goal most of us could espouse, myself included.

Curiously missing from most resolution lists is the goal to grow spiritually with the Lord. Why is that? When we consider resolutions, most of us tend to grasp at the tangible aspects of our lives where improvement is needed – our weight, our home, our finances. These are things we can see, feel and experience in a practical sense on a daily basis. They are things we believe require "immediate" attention, lest we fall deeper into our bad habits.

Regardless of the perceived urgency of our self-improvement needs, let’s be honest – God doesn’t often make the top of our priority list, does He? We go to church on Sundays, we try to do good things for others, and we read our Bibles when we get the chance, so what’s to worry about, right? Doing all these things is good, but we are likely limiting ourselves in ways we don’t fully realize. If I’m trying to lose weight and I walk for 30 minutes every day on a treadmill, I will lose weight. But eventually, I’ll plateau because my body has gotten used to the routine. If I want to continue losing weight, I have to change it up a little – add different exercises at different levels of intensity. It requires focus, energy, and determination. The same goes for my walk with God.

Despite our best intentions, at least half of all New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within the first month. It’s hard to make changes, especially those that are so closely tied to our behavioral characteristics or our environmental constraints. And when you make a list of several very ambitious goals, sticking to them all is unrealistic even for the most motivated among us. Choosing to make spiritual growth a priority is not a goal with specific benchmarks of "success" and a clearly definable end. We are always growing in our walk with God. The moment we stop pursuing Him, we plateau in our faith just like our bodies do in our workouts.

This New Year’s, throw away the list (or at least pare it down some), and instead say a simple prayer that goes something like this: "Father, I want to know you more and follow your ways more closely. Would you please help me to do that each day? I will make an effort to look and listen for your guidance, both in your Word and in my daily activities. In Jesus’ name, Amen." I don’t know about you, but that’s a resolution I’m happy to make – and keep.