Happy New Year
It’s that time of year where we find ourselves making resolutions and trying to make this next year better than last year. Which I think is a healthy habit. It’s good to take stock of where things are at and attempt to make adjustments. There are many times that I wish it was as simple as recognizing the problem; that somehow just realizing what was wrong was enough motivation and strength to change. The harsh reality is that it often isn’t enough motivation and doesn’t prompt change.
I recently came across some very helpful suggestions from a pastor in Louisville by the name of Mike Cosper. I wanted to share a few of them with you here. I hope you find them as helpful as I did.
Find Your Motivation
The first thing Mike suggests is that we find the proper motivation. He states that we often will set resolutions out of obligation; that we merely should do something. That’s not a strong enough motivation to keep a commitment.
He suggests focusing on how this resolution will change your life. Here are some suggested answers he gave:
- I want to read the whole Bible, to get a sense for the whole story of salvation.
- I want to immerse myself in Scripture, reading big chunks to help me think more biblically.
- I want to focus on smaller passages of Scripture, meditating on them and memorizing them so I always have them with me.
Make a Plan
Change is usually slow. I think that’s the hardest part of change for me. I want things to happen quickly, but real lasting change usually happens slowly.
It’s like planting a garden. I can’t plant seeds today and expect the harvest tomorrow. It will take a lot of work (watering, pulling weeds, etc.) and time. So often we give up on something good because we don’t see immediate results. That is similar to planting seeds today, watering them today, and then giving up on watering them tomorrow because you don’t see any change.
Mike suggests making a plan that starts small and builds. Going from an eat whatever you want diet to an organic vegan diet is unrealistic. But you can start small and build. Start walking each day. Eliminate soda from your diet. Make some little changes and then build on that until you reach your goal.
Build in Flexibility
As we get behind on things, it can deplete our motivation. So often we’ll quit a resolution just because it’s too much work to get caught back up. Often I’ll suggest to students that they should build flexibility into each week. Rather than going from never reading the Bible to reading an hour every day, I’ll suggest they start a bit smaller and shoot for 15-30 minutes a day for five days a week. That builds some flexibility in if they have a crazy amount of homework one night, and then they don’t feel that they have gotten behind.
Be Accountable
Let people know about your resolutions so they can check on you and encourage you. Maybe set some resolutions as a family or with a small group and work through them together.