God Gives Us A Do-Over Every New Year! Here’s some reasons why resolutions often fail… We’re Stuck in the Shallow End We focus on external change before we address internal issues. (Psalm 32:3) “I am convinced that healing is often so difficult because we don’t want to know the pain.”-Nouwen When God transforms our inner life to be beautiful; our outer life, our choices and our actions will also become beautiful. We Are Lone Rangers Don’t try to do it all alone. Jesus & Paul needed their friends, and God will never leave you or forsake you. About “Me” Instead of “Community” William Booth: “OTHERS”. Sometimes the problem with our resolutions is that they are all about “me” instead of “community”. “Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life…all of our life.” Henri Nouwen. Days Go Slow, Years Go Fast We believe our resolve at the beginning of the year is enough to sustain the following 364 days. This is simply not realistic. (Ecc. 9:10) Memento Mori: Your life matters – so live your life with purpose and virtue, not chaos. What if, instead of NYR’s, we made New Day’s Resolutions? New Day R`s are things that you have to re-decide to do every single day, or they’re just not going to happen. So, commit every day, give yourself grace when (not if but when) you mess it up. (Lam. 3:22-24) what would be a resolution that you would make on a daily basis? “Just for today I will…” What if, instead adding to your “To Do” list, you made a “Stop Doing List?” “What have you stopped doing since the last time we met?” Maybe you could stop running here and there for approval or affection, and rest in the One who surrounds you and sings over you in love. What if we asked God what he thinks of us instead of listening to the garbage of this world? You are deeply loved by God. What is His opinion of the “better” person we are becoming? (PR 3:5-6) What if our reflection about the New Year included asking God’s opinion?