I always have an emotional “moment” at the end of every year/beginning of a new year. I think it is just reflecting on the year that has passed–all the good, all the heartbreak, all the hopes and dreams (some of which came to pass and some that never came at all)–that brings tears to my eyes. It’s just an emotional time for me every single year. I used to make hard resolutions, and like the rest of you, I always failed to keep them all. It was such a disappointment! I also used to live my life waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Yes, things are great now, but what is waiting just around the corner??? It was miserable way to live.
As I grew in my walk with Jesus, I began to realize that every day is a new opportunity, and that if you set your heart and your perspective in the right direction that there is good in every circumstance. James 1: 2-4 states, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I know, I know…it’s hard to see joy when life is falling apart, when your heart is shattered, when you feel lost, alone, or betrayed. But if you believe that God is good, and that He loves you, and He, like any good Father, only wants what is best for you, then you can hold onto the hope that good things are coming! Better things are on the way! God’s BEST is just around the corner for you!
So, back to why I stopped making resolutions…when I began to fully understand that sometimes the best things in life are born out of the hardest struggles, I realized that I didn’t have to fear the future. I didn’t have to live disappointed that I had messed up again. I didn’t have to stop trying just because today didn’t go so well. Whether it is working out and eating right, or improving your attitude, or working on your marriage, you will never get it 100% right, and that’s OK, because in all circumstances, God loves you and wants ONLY good things for you. He gives you a fresh start EVERYDAY, not just on January first!
Lots of people are now focusing on word for the year. I have a friend who is focused on a phrase that enriches her family’s life together. I love this! God doesn’t expect us to be perfect all the time, and we shouldn’t expect that of ourselves either. And we don’t have to live in fear of what is to come or what might happen, because no matter what life may bring our way, God will work something good out of it!
So, now that we are almost three weeks into January, 80% or more of people who made resolutions have broken them. Guess what? Today is a new today; tomorrow will be a new day, too! Everyday is a fresh start to do better than you did yesterday, and God will love you and help you through all of it! Just stay focused on Him, spend some time in His Word, and concentrate on the hopes and dreams He has planted in your heart. Pray that He would guide your steps everyday and strengthen you to make the wisest decisions. It will all work out, and at the end of 2019, you will be better than you were at the beginning!
Happy 2019, friends!
God Bless,
Dr. Allison Key