Planning Your 2022 Resolutions? Beware!
There’s a great danger to be aware of when planning your resolutions. Here’s a little quiz to help you possibly identify the danger.
Have you ever planned your resolutions (or a goal) saying things like:
- I’ll never get angry again
- I’ll always show love toward that person who is unlovable
- I’ll never be discontent again
- I’ll always be joyful in every circumstance
- I’ll have my devotions every day
It’s easy to think that such determination will bring us success—even that it’s the only way to make a resolution. We may think that God demands such commitments. But have you noticed that when we can’t follow through, we get discouraged and give up? Even thinking God has given up on us also?
The good news is that God is more patient than we think. And His patience allows us to grow in our sanctification “little by little.” He’s not impatient with us when it takes us time to overcome our struggles and grow in grace.
I Timothy 4:15 tells us that. It says, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”
Vine’s Dictionary says the word Greek word “progress” is the idea of a pioneer cutting his way through the brushwood.
How does the pioneer do that? Little by little. He doesn’t have a mile-wide ax to cut down a swath big enough for his house in a day. Instead, he takes one step and takes one chop in the brushwood with his ax. He progresses one step and chop at a time.
That’s the kind of “progress” the Apostle Paul is encouraging Timothy to have. Step by step. Chop by chop. Little by little.
One of the principles I write about and speak about to give the biblical perspective of this is what I call “The 1% Principle.”
Instead of expecting or trying to make plans for 100% perfection, we can make small goals—like 1% growth.
So let’s apply that to the resolutions and goals we wanted to make above.
- I’ll never get angry again becomes I’ll concentrate on the time of day I often get angry and make changes that will support patience.
- I’ll always show love toward that person who is unlovable becomes find one thing I actually like about them.
- I’ll never be discontent again becomes I’ll find one thing to be satisfied about right now.
- I’ll always be joyful in every circumstance becomes I’ll find one thing to appreciate right now.
- I’ll have my devotions every day becomes I’ll have my devotions 3 times this week.
Such thinking in the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to make more progress because we’ll be persistent rather than get discouraged and give up.
I anger quickly. Mostly when I’m tired or in pain and mostly toward my husband.
Thank you for sharing this, Kat. Maybe a 1% goal would be thinking of what situations bring the most ungodly reactions and ask yourself what “message” about your worth and value seems to be communicated during those times. You are not loved? Not valuable? Not important? Ask the Lord to help you identify more and more quickly the message is a lie. God says the truth! Love you!
Perhaps it’s the “older and wiser” thing, but I think more I’ve got the older part down pretty well (if my aches and pains are any indication), but still working on that “wise” part. 🙂 In any case, I long ago adopted the philosophy of not putting undue pressure upon myself by setting mostly unrealistic goals (like the ones you listed) as New Year’s Resolutions. Instead, I resolved myself to seek God’s help so that I could become just a little bit better each day. I recognized that whenever I sat un-reachable goals, I would become disappointed and angry with myself upon my inevitable failure. Instead, I’m learning to give myself grace and accept that I will never be perfect in this human life, but if I keep working each day to improve just a little bit, that’s achievable. And if I miss a day and don’t grow closer to God, I know that He still loves me and will patiently wait for me to catch up.