My Non-Resolution for the New Year

So 2011 is now here and with it comes all kinds of resolutions. I have a few but I have become more realistic as I have aged. Rather than resolving, I have downgraded these to "hopes" for the new year. A lot of these are the same typical ones that most people have. I hope to spend more time with family. I hope to lose a few pounds and get in better shape. I hope to visit friends that I have not seen in a while. Perhaps I will look back at the end of the year and see how I did, but probably not. I will probably have the same resolutions again next year and the same disappointment at the end of the year. That is- I will not have lost as much weight or spent enough time or visited enough friends. Perhaps you can relate for maybe you have been through the same thing.

I have also at various times in the past made the commitment to grow closer to God and to "do" more for Him. I am not going to make this commitment this year. It seems that in the past any time I have made such commitments that I have had one of two results. If I managed to be successful, then my pride got the best of me as I proudly puffed my chest and said "look at me". Pride is not the best attribute for those that are pursuing God so I do not think that outcome is desirable.

So if success leads to pride, where does failure lead to? What happens to me if I do not live up to my "commitments"? Guilt. Fear. Condemnation. This does not seem like the proper result either for one who is walking with God (or at least trying to). Guilt and fear are the things that drive people away from God and the goal is to grow closer. So if success leads to exalting myself and failure leads to avoiding God, I do not think that I should be making a resolution this year to grow closer to God.

So what should I do if that is actually my desired goal? If I want to grow closer to God, is there anything that I can do to give that possibility a better chance?

Surrender. I think that in America this is indeed a large problem. we love our independence and our self reliance. I think that plays a large part in our New Year's resolutions. Resolutions are all about us and what we can do to make ourselves better. We do not like to submit to others yet this is where the key lies. You see our relationship with God is less dependent upon our abilities and our commitments and much more dependent upon our submission. It is about submitting our will to His so how can we possibly think that we can impose our will and grow closer to God?

Surrender is an act that leads to our following the direction of another. If someone were to pull a gun on you in a dark alley, you would not ramble on about how you are committed to raising your hands or how you resolve to give him your wallet. No, instead you would simply submit to what he says. This is how we should act in our relationship with God. So in actuality there are some things you can do to help the situation.

First we can learn what it is that God would have us do. I would suggest that if you desire to know what God would have you do that you start by examining His word and how His son fulfilled it. However, it may be a tad too difficult to follow directly in the steps of Jesus so maybe you should start small and work your way up. A good place to start is by loving God and loving your neighbor. Some of the other commandments seem to have a way of tempting us into disobedience. However, loving God and others seems to come with a built in reward system that allows us to sometimes come close to following the command. So to put it simple, find out what you are supposed to be doing and do it. That is what surrender is about really.

So this year I do not resolve to grow closer to God. I am not going to commit to doing anything for Him. Instead I hope to humbly submit and pray that He helps me when I fail. Happy New Year and may God bless you, keep you, and direct you.