Did You Make a New Year’s Resolution?

Well, 2015 has arrived! Praise God! Hopefully, you spent the first part of this New Year with family or friends and enjoyed yourself greatly.

But now comes the point in the year in which people ask “Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Are you still keeping them?”

For a while I pondered what resolutions I should make. To live a more healthy lifestyle in order to honor the body God has given me? To invest more in relationships with those around me and share Christ’s love with those who don’t yet know it? To place more healthy boundaries in my life to keep from becoming overwhelmed or isolated – two predicaments I seem to place myself in on a regular basis? To read God’s word every day? To become more adept and efficient in my role as a homemaker?

 

I chose to make a list of 6 resolutions.

These are all small things I can do daily to improve my life and relationships.

1. Read or listen to my Bible every day.

I always have good intentions when it comes to reading my Bible daily, but somehow I always get distracted. If I don’t read my Bible on a regular basis, how will I know what the behavior of a true Christian looks like? Therefore, I resolve to read my Bible each day this year, even if “reading” means listening to it being read as I do housework. If you need help in starting this habit consider the Immersed Challenge or the Overflow Study Method.

2. Take better care of my body.

I am getting better about exercising and knowing what goes into my body, but this is another area I need to continue working on. My physical health will improve, as will my mood. In taking care of my body, I am doing my part to be ready and able to do the work God has for me.

3. Stay in contact with Christian mentors and mentees, gaining wisdom and passing it on.

It is very difficult to grow in Christ alone. People who have gained more wisdom and life experiences than me can share them with me, and I can share with those who are younger than me or have less experience with faith. But mentoring relationships can only happen if the mentor and mentee keep in touch.

4. Filter what comes into my mind, my heart, and my home.

Listening to music that doesn’t have references to God in it, watching movies, and reading books that don’t have Him on every page or in every scene is not something that violates my conscience. If the material contains nothing that is objectionable to my faith, I feel that I can allow that into my mind.

But changing this for a short while may not be a bad idea.

Novels are fun and at times inspiring to read; movies are sometimes an enjoyable pastime, and what we listen to can direct our thoughts, emotions and actions. Biographies and memoirs of Christians living out their faith, and other nonfiction about the Christian faith, may be more beneficial to my walk with God. This resolution also applies to whom I will ask advice. I believe it will also lead to more volunteer work.

5. Become more efficient in my role as a homemaker.

I have a very well-made and detail-oriented schedule for myself when it comes to housekeeping and planning menus. After making said list, nearly every morning it is dismissed from my mind. I don’t follow it and usually don’t even look at it. My effectiveness would be maximized if I did not get sidetracked. Therefore, I resolve to care for my home as well as I am able.

6. Improve my writing.

For a few years now, I have considered starting a blog where I could write in a public setting about God’s word and what I am learning from it as well as my unique life experiences. Starting and maintaining this blog will also help me to improve my writing.

These are my New Year’s resolutions. All are God-honoring, and I hope that this year, I will keep them.

What are your resolutions this year?

Or do you prefer to choose one word to focus on during the year?