New Year’s 2012 is finally upon us. If we were Mayan we would probably be setting our affairs in order and strapping ourselves in for the end of the world; Seeing that we are not, most of us are on this day writing, or at least thinking, of all the great things we resolve to accomplish before Jan. 1, 2013.
Since I gave a few tips on surviving the last holiday I thought I might just “pastorally” mention a few things about making resolutions for the New Year:
1. Involve God – The Psalmist says “unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1.
May I just gently suggest that if you are making the same resolution you have been making for the last twelve years and failing at, maybe it’s time to start asking God if or how you should go about accomplishing it.
2. Write It Down – and put it somewhere you will see it all the time. If it’s not important enough to write down it’s probably not resolution material.
3. Break It Down – To say, “My New Years resolution is to get healthy” is a wonderful thing. Leaving the resolution in that form though almost assures you will fail at your attempt. First you have to define the goal’s end. What does “healthy” look like? Then break it down into monthly goals. Then break it down further into daily goals.
4. Schedule – The first step to reaching goals is to make them manageable and intentional. Get a planner and every week schedule according to your goals. Resolutions need to find their way into your routine.
5. Pray For success Ask God to direct you toward your goal everyday.
6. Don’t Give Up – Set backs are going to come this year. You still live on Earth and the place ain’t perfect. But don’t worry God is and He will give you the victory you need!
7. Remember Pastor Wrinkles is cheering you on! 🙂
Tell me some of your New Year’s Resolutions!
Reinventing the We'll 
Great post! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thanks for reading Sergei! Hope your holiday was as blessed as mine!
Thank you for the tips, Pastor J! I’m notoriously bad at setting goals. I kind of have vague things in mind to do, things “on my heart”. I have to work around a lot of other things, and put many things before what I might want to accomplish. Praying God give me a peace and a way to do exactly what He wants me to! 🙂 God bless you in this new year!
I know the feeling Deb! I have found that God determines our roles and in those roles our dreams are found. May God bless you as you learn to schedule according to your roles!
My New Year’s Resolution is to be slow, constant, and intentional.This phrase from your past blogs has really stuck with me. I am going to involve God and pray for success to be slow, constant, and intentional in all of my endeavors in the new year. I pray that God’s will be done in my life and that I will continually look to Him for direction. Thank you, Pastor J, for your blogs/chapter charts have really led me in a closer walk with the Lord this year. May God send many blessings your way in the new year to come. God bless you.
And thank you Deb for your constant encouragement in this work!
I’m still working on mine, but I’m definitely seeing a theme in the ones I have come up with… I definitely want to slow down and make time for the things that really matter to me: like my family, friends, and even exercise. I was too busy being busy last year. 🙂
Slowing down is good. A work worth pursuing! May God bless you in your efforts!
No specific resolution for this year. Instead I decided to set a theme for 2012. 2012 is the year of celebration. I like that it is something I want to permeate all parts of my life, rather than an arbitrary goal like run a faster 5k. And my theme is contagious. Everyone who knows about it so far is on board for more celebration. We are great at grieving with others, but celebrating usually gets the shaft. Not in 2012. We will be celebrating big and small things. Happy new year!
That is so good Brittany. Celebration as a discipline is something we as a culture particularly as a Christian culture have got to get on top of. I think I shall add this to my list as well!
Happy New Year Pastor J. Thanks for the tips. God bless.
Paulette
You are welcome sister! May your New YEar be blessed!