Parachute Prayer #15

My personal battle not to make any New Year’s Resolutions for 2009 continues, getting ever more fierce as New Year’s Day draws near. (For more on this, click here.) I’ve even been tempted to say, “I resolve not to make any New Year’s resolutions,” but that statement is as self-defeating as they come. What is it about a shiny, bright New Year that makes us want to suddenly improve ourselves? Maybe that’s just it—the New Year is shiny and bright and full of promise, and we don’t trust ourselves not to mess it all up. Well, that’s a pretty pessimistic point of view. Maybe it’s better to say that the New Year is shiny and bright and full of promise, so we make resolutions in order to help it live up to all our hopes and dreams. Much better! But I’m still not making any resolutions this year. Instead I’m prayerfully considering goals I’d like to reach, habits I’d like to incorporate or change, and dreams I might like to achieve. I’m not writing them down as resolutions, though. If I do, I might become obsessive compulsive about them and feel proud of myself for accomplishment or a sense of failure if the resolution doesn’t come to be.

As the New Year approaches, I’ll offer my prayerfully considered thoughts to God and let Him decide, as the year goes on, which goals, habits, and dreams are meant to be. I’ll let Him do the work, assist as He allows, and express thanksgiving for whatever changes He works in me.

Whether you make resolutions or not, take time this week to do the same. Prayerfully review your life’s course; then offer it to God that He can faithfully work in and through you. New Year’s Day seems to make us all more aware of our personal imperfections and dreams not yet reached. This isn't where God wants our focus to be. He'd rather we reflect on the fact that He loves and accepts us as we are, first of all, then let Him decide, in His perfect timing and wisdom, what to improve and accomplish in the year 2009. Random verses that contributed to the thoughts in this post: Philippians 1:6, Romans 12:1, Ephesians 2:4-10 and 3:20. To learn more about Parachute Prayer, click here.