By Ben Pitney, Pastor of the Vail Christian Church
I think New Year’s resolutions are worth making. I know that not everyone does, but let me tell you why I do. Everybody needs changes. But it’s hard to admit to ourselves that change can be severe. Have you ever heard someone say, “If I had it to do over, I wouldn’t change a thing?” Come on. That attitude is shallow and self-serving. Everyone can benefit from change. There is real power in honest confession and admitting we fail. It is the first painful step to something better.
I believe that each year, when the calendar changes, it’s a good time for reassessment. How did last year turn out? What do I want to do differently? Did I achieve what I set out to do? I’m reminded of a place in the Bible that seems to be understood by farmers more than most. “Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted.” (Jeremiah 4:3) It seems reasonable. The more land you put into production, the more productive you can be. But some of us are dumb enough to try to sow seeds in a ground full of weeds and unwanted thorns without breaking up the soil and working on getting out the weeds as they come up. We can be pretty lazy and apathetic.
So, how much of your life is producing something of value? How much “unplowed ground” do you have in your life that should be broken up during this next year and used for a useful purpose? January is always is a good time for reevaluation.
It’s also a fantastic time for mid-course corrections. Failure is always a possibility when you set out to do something different. But if you’re so fearful of failure that you never try something new or make a move, you never give yourself a chance to achieve any change. Failure is not the end. Failure can be an excellent way to learn.
One of the great men of the Bible, the Apostle Paul, seems like a colossal failure at first pass! All through his life he was resisted, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned, abandoned, and left for dead. He was deserted by trusted fellow workers, maligned, and disparaged. But while he was in prison, you can see from one of his letters an unwillingness to quit. “Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) He quit looking backward and started looking forward. He didn’t let failure turn into fear and keep him from trying again.
The new year can be such a great time to start again and seek how to rely more on the grace of God. You can try on your own, but there is another way: beginning to trust in God’s help. One more truth from the Apostle Paul, “I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) The strength of God saw him through a lot of pain, joy, and accomplishment.
If this last year you didn’t rely on the Lord as much as you should have, there is no time like the New Year.
