Resolving Not to Make Any More Resolutions

We’ve nearly reached the end of the year, and across the country millions of people either have or will be making resolutions for the New Year. These will range from losing weight to getting their anger under control to whittling down debt to spending less time on their smartphones. The problem is, resolutions rarely work.

Say, for instance, you resolve to lose 15 pounds. After the first of the year you start working out, cut back on eating “the good stuff,” and actually make a lot of progress, shedding maybe 10 pounds. Then you have a close encounter with the Cheesecake Factory or a similar establishment, and almost overnight find you’ve gained back five of those lost pounds. The biggest problem with losing weight, after all, is that it’s so easily found. In frustration, you mutter, “Well, forget that!”

Or you resolve to become an advocate for world peace, but then have a loud argument with your spouse. Rather than a peacemaker, you show yourself to be a peace-breaker. “Stick it in your ear, world peace!”

My solution to such resolution failures is simple: Don’t make resolutions. Instead, I set goals. For example, years ago a friend gave me a one-year chronological Bible, and last year I set a goal to finally get around to reading it through. I started the year off well, keeping pace with the daily readings, but then fell behind a week or so for some reason. If it had been merely a resolution, I might have said, “I quit!” 

But since it was a goal for the entire year, I pressed on, reading an extra section or two from time to time, and got caught up. At some points I even got a few days ahead in my readings. There were a couple of other setbacks along the way, but now I’m just a few days short of reaching my goal. Next I’ll have to decide how to structure my Bible reading and study in the New Year.

Years ago, I learned three things about goals: They should be 1) realistic, 2) measurable, and 3) attainable. For instance, even in my younger years I was too big to be a jockey, so aiming to ride the winner of the Kentucky Derby would have made no sense. But I can set a goal of doing vigorous cardio workouts at least three times a week. Realistic. Measurable. Attainable.

Let’s shift our goal focus to the spiritual realm. The Scriptures speak a surprising amount about goals. For instance, the apostle Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). His life’s focus was on Jesus Christ, and his consuming goal was to remain faithful to His call.

Paul, who had a penchant for using athletic metaphors to teach spiritual truth, told believers in the ancient church in Corinth, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Okay, his goal was to win the race – essentially to be the last man standing at the end. But how did Paul intend to accomplish that? Discipline.

He proceeded to write, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever…. I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). Like a well-trained athlete, the apostle determined not to let physical desires and lusts sidetrack him from fulfilling his goal of pleasing and honoring his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

How we pursue a similar goal is up to the individual. It’s like the question, “When is it best to have a quiet time?” – setting apart a portion of the day for Bible study, prayer and meditation. The answer is, “whenever works for you on a consistent, daily basis.” The point is, personal time alone with God is a worthwhile goal; how and when to do it is up to our discretion.

One worthy goal mentioned in the Scriptures is one that seems woefully out of step with our noisy, turbulent times and culture. Paul exhorted Christ followers in the Greek city of Thessalonica, “Make it your ambition [goal] to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

There’s a lot we could unpack from this passage, but basically the goal is to live in a respectful, God-honoring manner that proves attractive to those outside the faith. After all, God did command us to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), not only physically but also spiritually.

So, while the making of resolutions seems a popular pastime at this point in the year, I’d suggest that setting reasonable goals are a far better approach. That way you can pursue them year-long, and if you mess up or unwittingly take a detour, you can stop, dust yourself off and reset your course, keeping the ultimate goal in sight: to please and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, who achieved His own goals to teach, die on the cross, and rise from the dead so that He might offer a new life to us through His Spirit.

Start formulating your realistic, measurable and attainable goals so that by the end of next year you can be like the soccer announcers who scream, “Goooooooooal!”

How to Get from Here to There

Another calendar year is poised to shift into our rearview mirrors. Gazing there typically brings a mixture of happiness, satisfaction, excitement, sadness, disappointment, regret, even remorse. Hopefully we’ve appreciated good times and successes and learned from failures. But 2016 is upon us, so it’s time to move forward.

Just as a foggy highway obscures what's ahead,
our view of the future remains unclear.

As someone has said, from the driver’s seat of a car the windshield is big and broad while the rearview mirror is small and narrow, and there’s good reason for that. The apostle Paul expressed it even better when he said, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus… (Philippians 3:13-14).

How do we “press on”? We can step into the new year and let life happen, or be intentional and devise some sort of plan for what we would hope to experience and accomplish over the next 366 days. (Yes, we’re entering a leap year, so imagine how much more we can get done!) Granted, life does throw the proverbial curveballs, and we must deal with the unexpected, but as a wise man once told me, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

Some people embark on the new year with resolutions. “I resolve to…” or “I resolve not to….” A problem with resolutions, whether it’s to stop smoking, eat better, be more kind, or exercise more, is that once a resolution is broken we tend to conclude, “Oh well, that’s it. I knew I couldn’t do it. What’s the use?”

That’s why I prefer setting goals, focusing on different areas of my life – physical health, mental vitality, family and social relationships, finances, work, hobbies, and spiritual growth. Goals can span weeks, months, even the entire year. They provide something to aim at, understanding sometimes you miss the target and sometimes you hit the bulls-eye. At the very least, they provide a path for getting from here to there.

Many people are good at setting goals in certain areas – get a new job, pay off debt, buy a new car, start an exercise program, activities to nurture relationships with spouse and children, take up a new pastime. But spiritual goal-setting isn’t nearly as common. After all, aren’t the best goals measureable and attainable? How can you measure spiritual growth or a relationship with God?

True, only God can do that. But we can set goals that if pursued consistently can help in our desire to move forward spiritually. Like reading a passage of the Bible every day. As David wrote in Psalm 119:9-11, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

This doesn’t happen automatically. It needs to be done thoughtfully and intentionally. Just as with human relationships, a relationship with God grows with time and attention. Some people find the first thing in the morning, before activities of the day become distractions, best for reading and studying the Scriptures. Others find evenings work best. When to consciously spend time with the Lord and His Word matters little – what does matter is that we do spend the time.

Prayer, of course, is important – talking to God and also listening to Him. Some of that, too, can be done at a specific time and place. But as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us, “Pray without ceasing.” Location, posture and time might be helpful, but not as essential as seeking to stay in continual contact with God. So ensuring that we do devote time daily to prayer is of immeasurable value.

We’re told we can’t flourish in everyday service to God in isolation. We need to be a part of the body of Christ, adding our gifts and talents to what others are doing – and benefiting from them. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Even Jesus needed companionship and enjoyed the camaraderie of like-minded people. So why shouldn’t we?

There are many other areas we could explore that can enhance spiritual growth; perhaps you’re thinking of some now. The key is recognizing our part in growing spiritually requires an act of the will, trusting God won’t fail to do His part. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:4-6). How does that promise sound to you?