THE MORAL OF THE STORY:Keep God in resolutions

Heavenly Father, Make me swift and ready to obey;

And thus the year I now begin

A happy year will be,

If I am seeking just to do

The thing that pleases You.”

-- Anonymous

“I don’t know why I ever even bother to make New Year’s resolutions; I know they’re never going to last,” a friend said to me recently.

“I think that since they typically only last a week or two into January, that maybe if I make it to the middle of the month, then maybe I’ve got a shot at making them stick. But I’ve blown it already. The silly thing is that I’ll probably make them again next year, and the year after that. Oh well, you can’t fault me for trying, but I always get down on myself when I blow it.”

“I have to ask you,” I said to my friend, “are they pretty much the same resolutions you made last year, and the year before that? Because if they are, then I also have to ask if you have made any changes that might make it more likely that you’ll keep them?”

My friend smiled sheepishly and answered, “Well, yes, I suppose they are pretty much the same thing year after year — and no, I haven’t actually done anything different.”

I told her that of course there is nothing wrong with what she wants to happen, but wishing won’t make it so. We talked about making specific goals with concrete steps, smaller achievable mini-goals, realistic timelines and accountability.

We also talked about motivation for her resolutions and how she felt her life would improve with the changes.

I’ve learned the hard way that any time I try to make any change in my life, I will fail unless I have God’s guidance in choosing what to change in the first place, and his ongoing help to make it happen.

I’ve found that when I focus on God, then my goals and plans are easier to prioritize and actualize. In fact, while praying for his guidance with goals, I seemed to sense him asking me to look to, lean on and learn from him. These are worthwhile goals for me, not just for this new year, but also for each new day.

And you can quote me on that.