Resolutions, Goals, and Plans of Mice and Men

How can it be that another calendar year is nearly over? Valentine’s Day was just yesterday, wasn’t it?

 

This image from a Jacquie Lawson 
E-card captures old sentiments.

People exhibit a variety of reactions concerning the end of one year and the start of another. For some, it’s ‘Good riddance!’ The old year can’t end soon enough. For others, it’s a fond farewell, cherishing the achievements and memories created along the way. What the words of the traditional year-ender, “Auld Lang Syne,” mean depends on what kind of year you’ve had: “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?”

Nevertheless, 2025 will be upon us before we know it. The brilliant shining ball at Times Square will have dropped, and ready or not, we’ll venture in the new year filled with hopes, expectations, and perhaps some uncertainty.

 

One way of trying to limit that uncertainty is to prepare for the coming year. Some of us formulate resolutions, others set specific and measurable goals, while others engage in detailed planning. As I’ve noted in the past, I’m not an advocate of resolutions because they’re so easily broken and then forgotten. 

 

According to some studies, the average lifespan of most resolutions is about two weeks. Quitting smoking, losing weight, limiting screen time, and exercising more all sound like great ideas. Until the time comes for implementing those resolutions. Most of us, once we fail, promptly quit. ‘I knew I couldn’t do it. Why bother?’

 

I prefer setting goals, since they allow for failure along the way. If I resolve to read through the Bible over the course of the year and miss a day or two, I can always catch up later. If I determine to save a certain amount of money each month but unanticipated expenses come up, there’s always next month.

 

The reality of it is, no matter how committed we are to our resolutions and/or goals, there’s always the unexpected. At times, very unexpected. In his classic poem, “To a Mouse,” Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote (in modern English), “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” To put it another way, life happens when we’re making other plans.

 

So, what’s the point of goal-setting and planning? Should we just ‘let life happen,’ adopting a fatalistic view of life? I don’t think so. Instead, it’s wise to recognize that while life can and does take surprising twists and turns, we can trust in our God who’s never caught by surprise or unprepared.

 

The Scriptures offer great wisdom about the planning process and the importance of letting the Lord be part of that process. The book of Proverbs alone gives numerous insights. My personal favorite is Proverbs 3:5-6, which I consider my life’s verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I’ve lost count of the times I had my ideas, God had His ideas, and His proved to be much better than mine.

 

Another verse urges us, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). That doesn’t mean God is obligated to bless everything we decide to do. What it does mean is if we determine to make our plans in light of our devotion to the Lord, He will guide us in the planning process.

 

A brief passage from another Old Testament book affirms this. Psalm 37:4-6 says, “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.” When our delight in God and commitment to Him are paramount, He will ensure that our desires align with His own.

 

We could cite many other Bible passages, but three more from Proverbs are particularly helpful for those of us who are planners. Both point to God’s sovereignty – that ultimately He works everything according to His will and purposes.

 

Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Then we read, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). And third, “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24).

 

We can regard these assurances from a negative perspective, as if to say, “Who does God think He is to decide what I’m going to do?” However, trusting in God’s omniscience – being all-knowing – can give us much peace and confidence that even if our plans are faulty or misdirected, the Lord is fully able to counter our foolish limitations and redirect our plans in ways we couldn’t have dreamed or expected.

 

As we read in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

 

If we can keep these promises in mind as we make our resolutions, set our goals or develop our plans, we’ll find things going much better than we could have hoped. Happy planning – and Happy New Year!