New Year, New Resolve
It’s 2022 and I could have never imagined a world in which Covid-19 is still a dominant factor in our lives. Yet, here we are dealing with another wave and another variant and simply trying to make the best decisions for our health, our families, and our well-being based on the information we have. It is a lot to deal with, and given all that we’ve been through as a society these last two years, just making it to 2022 is a major accomplishment.
So now there is a new year and of course, there’s always the January push to make resolutions. However, this year I’ve opted to forgo the resolutions and simply adopt a new resolve. What is the difference between the two for me? Resolutions seem to be more centered on the actions or activities that one will adopt or engage in, or that one will avoid or cease. Whereas a resolve is more deeply connected to the mindset and attitude linked to producing more favorable behaviors and outcomes.
I can say that I will give God the first fruits of my day, or workout more consistently, or trim down my time on social media, but if I don’t address the mindset and heart posture that has contributed to the negative behavior I will never truly be able to commit to the more positive behavior.
So what does my resolve, or firm determination look like for 2022? It’s more simple than one might imagine, but I believe it will also be one of the most transformational mindsets and attitudes I could ever adopt.
I resolve to be more and love more like Jesus in 2022.
The best part about this resolve for me is that it doesn’t come with the checklist of specific tasks that I must do in order to be successful. In fact, it’s not about being successful at all in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s about getting to know Christ more deeply and through that intimacy, resembling Christ more purely. One begets the other.
I won’t always get it right. I won’t always be on track. Yet, there’s no pressure to perform and that’s so freeing for me. Jesus is not looking at my works, He’s looking at my heart. So, if my heart is aligned with Jesus everything else will naturally fall into place.
There’s nothing wrong with resolutions, and if that is something that motivates and inspires you I whole-heartedly believe you should go for it. But, don’t neglect your heart, attitude, and mindset in the process of trying to accomplish specific goals.
Diamond Jones, Senior Writer
