I’m a failure at resolutions.
I’m a quitter. It’s just what I have done historically — when the going gets hard, I get going, to a new location where things aren’t so hard.
But I’m trying to change. I want to be different. I have changed a lot in this area, to be fair, but I still have a long way to go. I’ve been challenged, and moved, by a passage of Scripture from Romans 5.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. {Romans 5:3-5}
I’m not hoping for/bringing about/trying to find more suffering in my life to practice rejoicing in it. (I’m not crazy.) But I am looking for challenging opportunities to practice perseverance so my character can grow. Because after that? HOPE.
I want to do everything I can to fill 2016 with hope.
Failed resolutions never bring me hope.
So this year, instead of “resolutions,” I’m trying a couple of “New Year’s Experiments.”
Instead of saying, “In 2016, I am going to _________”, I’m trying a new sentence.
“I wonder how my life would be different if, for one year, I ______________?”
…. read my Bible every day?
…. walked for 20 minutes first thing in the morning?
…. quit eating desserts?
…. volunteered in the nursery at church?
…. wrote down one thing I am grateful for every night?
…. watched less TV?
…. watched more TV? (I dunno. Just thought I’d make it an option.)
…. called my mom every day?
…. got 6-8 hours of sleep every night?
…. whiten your teeth every day?
It’s not about setting a new rule for your life you must follow. It’s about trying something new and seeing if it works out for you. In the grand scheme of things, one year really isn’t that long. I’ve done 35 1/2 and they have flown by. So what would it look like for me to pick one experiement for 2016? One change to make in my life, just to watch and see if it affects who I am, how I work, how I live, and how I grow?
I sat and thought through this last week, and prayed, and wondered. This year, in a way I’ve never experienced before, I want to be different. And I want to be a finisher, not a quitter.
So I’m doing an experiment. No resolutions, no rules, no failure.
Just trying. Experimenting. See what will happen if I don’t give up. As long as I keep trying, I know I’ll be a better Annie for it.
by Annie F. Downs
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