Go Ahead, Write Those Resolutions

Last week I welcomed 2020 with a new wall calendar, planner, budget planner, journal, prayer journal, designated scratch pad, and a few new pens. A little much? Perhaps. According to modern wisdom, I’m one of those fools who thinks I can make a “new me” each new year with the perfect notebook and a tidy list of resolutions.

The Rise of the Anti-Resolutionists

It’s kind of popular now to be anti-New Year’s Resolution. I don’t know if this is a growing trend, or if I’m just more aware of it. You hear gym enthusiasts and frequent church goers lament about the annoying few weeks at the beginning of a new year when their favorite pew or elliptical is overrun with resolutioners. Headlines discourage us from setting new goals on January 1 because apparently it’s the “worst day” to do so. To some Christians, New Year’s Resolutions can seem a little too self-centered or self-helpish. The tidbit that most New Year’s Resolutions are abandoned by February provides recyclable fodder for comics and cynics alike.

“It’s true: you can’t become a “new you” overnight. This is also true: you can’t become a new you at all if you don’t start making changes somewhere. ”

Part of the reason resolutions get a bad rap is because often, we overdo it. We expect too much too fast. We underestimate the challenge of change. We place too much hope on the power of one new habit to fix our entire lives.

That doesn’t mean we should give them up.

Resolutions the Right Way

It’s true: you can’t become a “new you” overnight. This is also true: you can’t become a new you at all if you don’t start making changes somewhere, sometime.

That’s why I love New Year’s Resolutions. They allow me to reflect on where I’ve been, evaluate my progress, and figure out where I’m going. Of course, nothing says new resolutions must be made in January. One can set a goal any time. But the rhythm of reflecting and planning at the close of one year and beginning of another feels natural for a lot of us.

“Resolutions aren’t — or don’t have to be — about denial, false hope, or self-help. To me, they’re simply about living with intention. ”

Resolutions aren’t — or don’t have to be — about denial, false hope, or self-help. They can simply be about living with intention. I’d even argue that’s a biblical concept.

The Bible says that “the heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” It’s evident from Scripture that sometimes God’s plans are different than our own.

But the Bible also promotes diligence and planning for the future. Don’t get me wrong: we can’t earn God’s favor, let alone salvation, by checking off a list of accomplished resolutions. Neither can we truly improve without the Holy Spirit. But we can steward our lives wisely, intentionally — all the while dedicating our plans to the Lord and believing that if he disrupts them, we can trust him.

Not for Everyone, But For You?

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t for everyone. But they work for a lot of people. For me, New Year’s Resolutions harness the excitement of a brand new year, and help channel it into purposeful living and positive change. Sometimes that change is small. It’s never perfect. But it’s good.

So if you’re a goal-setting, planner-buying, diary-writing person who enjoys reflecting and planning at the beginning of each new year, don’t let cynical jokes or disparaging headlines discourage you from your New Year’s routine. Write those resolutions.

Photo by Denise Karis on Unsplash