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An inward resolve...

30th December 2008

It's time once again for New Year's Resolutions!

Now I need to be honest, I've never been really into the whole resolutions thing - it's always seemed a little strange to me to wait until the New Year to make a change! (If it's a change worth making, you might as well start right now, right?) But that's totally a tangent - here's my real question!

Who are you trying to impress with your New Year's Resolutions this year?

I've been realising that a lot of the resolutions I hear about are outward ones - resolutions that are mainly about external things such as appearance or activities. Here's a few common ones...

I'm going on a diet to lose weight
I'm going to get better at [some skill or ability]
I'm going to focus more on my study
I'm going to quit smoking

Now outward resolutions are good, but I'm a bit challenged by the words of Jesus when he said 'Man looks at the outwards appearance, but God looks at the heart'. So my challenge for yourself and myself is to develop a list of 'inward' resolutions - not to worry so much about what we're going to do or how we're going to look, but to set some goals for the kind of person we want to be.

Here's some examples.

I want to have a more positive attitude
I want to focus on people's strengths, not their mistakes
I want to be more generous with what I have
I want to be happy with myself the way I am
I want my relationship with God to go deeper
I want to be more like Jesus

So how can you make a change on the inside? Well, firstly you could get yourself a mentor. Tell someone you admire about the change you want to make, and ask if they'll meet up with you to keep you accountable. Secondly, you could pray about it. The Holy Spirit is powerful and was given to help us become more like Jesus - so don't underestimate the value of committed, persistent prayer when it comes to changing our hearts!