Resolutions

As we enter the time of year that resolutions are so easily and frequently tossed about and in a couple of weeks forgotten about, I thought it appropriate to share a thought about just that.

Recently when my parents were up to visit before Christmas, my Dad preached the sermon on Sunday morning at church. He preached on a different view of the "resolutions" we toss about this time of year. His encouragement to us was to look back at resolutions of the past and measure how far we got in those areas before we randomly throw out more easily forgotten and/or broken resolutions. If we are looking to make resolutions, we are indeed "resolving" to do whatever that goal is. Webster's dictionary defines "resolve" in several ways but the one that applies to resolutions at New Year's is to reach a firm decision about. That to me reads as a decision made with thought and determination not one made for just something to say.

My challenge to you on this eve of 2009 is to think about prior resolutions and what made those not work and commit yourself and "resolve" to do something you will see through to the end. It takes a person of great character to commit and stick to it! A song we sing at church has the following words that I think are appropriate as we look at the coming new year - "I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world's delights, things taht are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight."