116 – How will you make your New Year's resolutions?
2022 here. A lot of folks like to, or think they should, make New Year’s resolutions. For some people, this is a very helpful exercise to get them focused on what they need to do in the New Year to improve themselves, to make changes in their lives and behavior, and to progress as a person.
However, all too often, we tend to make resolutions which are unreasonable, either because of how much change or what kind of change we think we will bring about.
More recently, a lot of my friends are choosing a quality or attitude to focus on for the whole year and bring it to bear on all they do. It’s more of a resolution on how to think than a resolution for specific behaviors.
I love this idea because it’s about the way we think; it’s about our mindset. To get at the heart of what causes us to act the way we do, we need to examine our thinking. To bring true and lasting change to our behaviors, we need to change our mindset.
So I’ve been thinking about what kind of New Year’s resolutions I could and would make if I were fully imbibing the mindset of Jesus.
Did Jesus ever make any New Year’s resolutions? Well, not that I know of. He always did the right thing. He did what the Father told him to.
Jesus didn’t have his own personal agenda of what to accomplish while he was here on earth. He did have a master plan of what he would do, but everything on that plan was dictated and orchestrated by God. Jesus just did and said whatever God told him to.
If we are striving to follow Jesus, maybe we should try to follow this approach in our own lives.
I know, that’s a pretty big high bar to reach for, but if we’re going to follow Jesus, we have to start somewhere.
To what degree are you and I willing to adopt Jesus’s mindset as to how we live our lives? Are we willing to set aside our own will, our own agenda, our own hopes and dreams, our own desires, our own actions, and our own assessment of a situation or person – are we willing to set all these aside for what God’s will is and for what God sees and does?
As you think about your plans for 2022, please consider setting those plans to the side long enough to ask God what His plans for you are. What is God’s will for you in the New Year?
What will God be doing in 2022? Will you see what God does and do likewise? What will God say to you throughout 2022? There’s no way to know right now. Will you listen all year long for His guidance? Will you only say what he tells you to?
I know, this is a very high standard to reach for.
There will be times when we fall short. Don’t be hard on yourself if you mess up a little or a lot. Focus on the times you do listen for God’s voice and obey it. Be grateful every time you see God at work and you act accordingly. Rejoice over the times you only say the words God puts in your mouth.
The more you practice this mindset of Jesus, the better you’ll get at it.
And as we do this, 2022 will become the Year of the Lord for us.
My goal for 2022 is to give this whole year to God, let Him set the agenda, let Him decide what I need to do and when to do it, where I need to be, who I need to talk to, and what to say.
I invite you to join me in this grand adventure.
What will God tell you to do is 2022?
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on g
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
