Last Updated on March 20, 2018

New Years’ resolutions get me down. I get pretty overwhelmed when I think about all of the areas I need to work on… physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I need to be a better wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, church member, blogger. I need to be more thoughtful, less selfish, more servant-like, less judgmental, exercise more, eat less… the list goes on.

The more I reflect on ways I can try to become a better person, the bleaker the situation becomes.

But here’s the thing… it doesn’t matter what I do. I cannot become a ‘better person’ on my own. That is God’s work, not mine.

All I can do is submit myself, my life, my aspirations, my dreams, and my goals to the will of the Father. And let Him do the rest.

It is by God’s grace alone that I am even here. He has a purpose for my life. He has a purpose for your life. We must “press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of us” (Phil. 3:12).

This requires a relationship. Not a checklist.

This isn’t about doing your 15 minutes of Bible reading or praying at every meal just to check it off your “This is what God asks of me” list.

It’s not about resolutions or goals or organization.

It’s about seeking God, submitting to Him in every area of our lives, and asking Him to do the work we aren’t capable of doing on our own.

Seeking to find God’s purpose in our lives is seeking to have a relationship with God. Only through relationship will our true purpose be revealed.

We can’t do everything. We can’t be everything to everyone. We must make choices dependent on our priorities. But our priorities must be in line with God’s purpose for our lives.

So crack open that Bible of yours and start talking to our Heavenly Father…not because of a resolution, a goal or to check it off your ‘list’ each day. But because you seek to know Him, love Him, and have His purpose for your life revealed to you more clearly.

And when February rolls around and all of our other resolutions and goals are but distant, unmet expectations… our God will carry us through the rest of the year and the rest of all eternity if we choose to cling to Him.

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2 Comments

  1. That is exactly right! And, it's the first step that counts!

  2. Thank you, Jenae! I need that reminder EVERY DAY! Great post!