Be It Resolved for 2011 ...

When I was growing up, my little cousin would say "Happy New You!" to everyone he saw after the Christmas holidays, instead of "Happy New Year!" We all laughed because his rendition of the phrase was so cute, but, come to think of it, it was also pretty valid. We typically begin a new year with that liberating sense of a fresh start for ourselves, a clean slate, the past behind us.
We soon find that our hopeful intentions for new and improved lives stall out pretty quickly. Maybe you've given up the whole experience of New Year's resolutions as a bad deal.
While resolutions made under our own steam don't get us very far, the beginning of the year is a great time to create a "wish list" of what you want to see God do for you and through you in the coming year. It's a perfect time to dream big about the future -- and then write it down. There is amazing power in writing down your goals. (Don't let the word "goals" intimidate you; it simply means your hopes for a better future.)
Here are some things on my spiritual wish list for 2011:
*Learn more about what real love is and let it change me
*Follow the Holy Spirit's guidance daily (in the little things as well as the big ones)
*Regularly find rest and peace in the midst of problems and challenges
*Recognize when I am depending on my own understanding, and switch over to trusting God
*Remember that Christ lives in me and through me every day
I have wish lists for material things and natural things, as well, so don't think I'm only talking about the spiritual parts of our lives. I have found, though, that prioritizing the internal helps everything else in my life fall into place.
The great part of this approach is that God will get involved in seeing my wish list come to pass, and it won't be me trying to accomplish the impossible on my own. When I fail at times, I can know there is no guilt or frustration coming my way, just my patient Father ready to pick me up again and help me again on my journey.
Happy New Year!