Greater resolve... once again

No doubt, by the time you read this I will already have broken at least one of my New Year’s resolutions. Some years I barely make it to day two. Sound familiar? It should - a quick Google search tells me that 80% of resolutions are broken during January and only 8% of resolutions are actually achieved long term. But is knowing this going to stop me making them again this year? Absolutely not. I’m going to set them anyway - as you never know, this could just be the year that I keep them… 

We’ve been thinking like this for thousands of years. The month January is named after a mythical god of early Rome called ‘Janus’. Janus is described as having two faces - one which looked forward and the other back. This way he was able to see both the past and the future at the same time. And so, for the Romans the last day in December became a time where people looked at their past, forgiving their enemies, and also a time where people looked to the future by setting themselves resolutions. 

I guess this is similar to our thoughts this New Year - reflecting on the year just gone and thinking about an improved future. Unlike mythical Janus though, we have a very real, living God who has a clear plan for the world and for us. ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)  Unlike my failed plans and resolutions, we can have confidence in this and be assured that God has a future prepared. 

So, in addition to the usual resolutions, why not make 2018 the year to find out more about God’s plans and resolutions - and what they mean for you?

Useful passage to look up: Jeremiah ch29 v11.

Photo by Steven VanDesande Jr on Unsplash