Resolution or Not?

We didn’t stay up until midnight to watch the ball drop this year. Come to think about it, we also didn’t make any resolutions either. Instead we evolved peacefully from one cold December evening to the next bright January day. The fact that the year had changed from ’23 to ’24 was incidental.

I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions because my social media accounts and emails have been barraged by various ads promising ultimate health and happiness in the new year. What strikes me most about these ads is their guarantee to make my life so much better. But I wonder…how do these companies know that my life needs improving in the way they’re offering? I mean do I really need an online expert to tell me what to specifically eat, (or what foods to never eat) – or how to exercise – or what supplements to take for a cleaner gut, firmer abs, or sharper brain? It all seems so superficial.

Quite frankly life feels meaningless when I only focus on the false substitutes for lasting happiness. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of good health and positive habits but I believe in proper research and thoughtful conversations with qualified health care professionals before determining my daily routine and medications. The aforementioned ads sadly lead too many of us into quick purchases and a false sense of security that we are finally living a “good” life. From experience, the promised programs fail and the supplements fizzle out and the whole empty process starts all over again the next January with more money down the drain. For me there is really only one thing to do when the new year rolls around – be intentional about living a purposeful and loving life.

In my own life, this means listening to my heart and trusting that God has placed me exactly where I am intended to be. Of course this type of attitude is not easy for a control freak like me but over the past handful of years I have learned to surrender my will to the One who knows me better than I know myself. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) It has been a humbling process which has taken me to unexpected places where I fought back against the rolling tide of my life’s trajectory. But over time and with much prayer and contemplation, I’ve learned to reach for the hand of God amidst the darkness and feel his outstretched hand pulling me up every time.

This new year promises to be a memorable one for our family with milestone birthdays, college graduations and a much anticipated wedding. I’m excited to celebrate these beautiful life occasions with dear family and friends. My impending joy though is not dependent on anything other than love. There is nothing I need to “have” (quick fixes) which will make these occasions better. I will try to live peacefully and purposefully each day of this year, trusting completely in the guiding hand of God. Now that’s a resolution I’d be willing to make annually.