As the New Year nears now might be the perfect time to make those New Year’s resolutions.
Making New Year’s resolutions that we don’t intend to keep is the great American pastime. I say “American” pastime because people who live in countries who don’t have enough to eat and whose only thought is how to stay alive just one more day don’t have the luxury of resolving to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, make more money and quit smoking, which are the top resolutions everyone makes each year.
If you feel you’re in a resolution rut, you can find a website for almost any kind of resolution you are interested in. There are resolution sites for astrologers, dog owners, cat owners, Internet junkies, orthodontists, talk show fans, business owners, genealogists, reunion planners, mothers, portfolio people, and my personal favorite, a site for people who don’t have time to make their own resolutions.
Here’s an idea: Why not resolve to do something you really can do? Like – be nicer! Be kinder! You might stop smoking. You might become a svelte size 2. You may eat tofu and wheat grass and live to be 100. You might even gain riches beyond your wildest dreams. But if you are a disagreeable, grumpy, self consumed, grudge holding, bigoted, humorless, back biting, angry, envious, unsupportive, cantankerous person, WHO CARES what you accomplish?
The Biblical principle is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12) Would you like to see people happy, giving, sharing, forgiving, and caring? It all starts with one person and ripples out to thousands of others.
Now I’m not saying you can accomplish it all in one year. In fact you have to take it one day at a time. You might start by smiling. Then you might do some random acts of kindness. Then you might say, “Please” or “Thank you.” Then you might open the door for someone who has his hands full. It’s the type of resolution you can renew daily. (2 Corinthians 4:16) If you blow it, just start all over again. Hey, everyday is the beginning of a new year.
In the words of a card I once received, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t blow it!” But if you do, resolve to start all over again because “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”
