I will give thanks
to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And
my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14
It is that dreaded time of year again. Christmas is over and the New
Year looms straight ahead. For some like
me, who are habitual resolution breakers, it is just another opportunity to
fail yet again. That is why this year I
have decided to make an Un-resolution.
Every year we do this to ourselves. We make New Year’s resolutions to
be skinnier, better at this and that, save more money, get out of debt, be a
better parent, and the list goes on. We make unrealistic expectations on
ourselves that we cannot meet and set ourselves up for failure. Then we feel
bad about ourselves, worse than we already felt.
Here are some interesting statistics about New Year’s Resolutions:
45% of Americans usually
set New Year’s Resolutions;
■17% infrequently set
resolutions;
■38% absolutely never set
resolutions.
Only 8% of people are
always successful in achieving their resolutions.
■19% achieves their resolutions
every other year.
■49% has infrequent success.
■24% (one in four people) NEVER
succeeds and has failed on every resolution every year. That means that 3 out
of 4 people almost never succeed.
The less happy you are, the
more likely you are to set New Year’s Resolutions. This is especially true for
those who set money-related resolutions: 41% are not happy, 34% are moderately
happy, and 25% are happy.
This year I want to enjoy life. I want to release myself from the
pressure of trying to be perfect. I am
tired of trying to meet unrealistic expectations, mine included.
Therefore, I resolve to do the very best I can do. This does not mean I am writing myself a
ticket to do less, not try or show any ambition. This means that I want to be happier with
things when I am doing the very best I can.
God does not expect us to be perfect, so why should we? He has grace and mercy abounding for us. He understands when we are spinning our
wheels and going nowhere. He sees how
hard we try and better still, He knows our hearts. He sees the desires that might never come to
fruition. He loves us anyway, bumps,
bruises, warts and all.
So this year resolve to be more merciful on yourself. Do your best, make some changes, but be
realistic! And above all, be easy on
yourself when you miss the mark because occasionally we all miss the mark. Accept the grace, mercy and compassion of
your Heavenly Father lavishes on us. Allow yourself to partake.
Scripture to Claim:
For the LORD does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the
heart. 1Samuel 16:7b (NKJV)
