HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine

Be it Resolved!, by Rubel Shelly


What are your feelings about New Year's Resolutions? For that matter,
what is your feeling about the concept of a "New Year"? The New Year
celebration was, after all, celebrated at the vernal equinox (March 20
in 2012) until the Middle Ages. That actually makes some sense to me,
since the vernal equinox is the first day of spring! Ah, but history
isn't the point here.

The point is resolutions. Do you make resolutions for whatever you mark
as New Year's Day? Have they been so vexing for you in the past that
you have given up on them? Life occasionally requires resolutions --
nothing more nor less than a plan to change something -- to accommodate
our proneness to err!

Even if not as change but as renewed promises, what about these for
2012?

RESOLVED that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be the primary
objects of my love and devotion in this New Year.

RESOLVED that my fellow human beings will be treated with respect,
dignity, and justice in all situations of my personal and professional
life.

RESOLVED that love -- understood as unselfish care for others –- will
become the hallmark of my life and all its relationships.

RESOLVED that Holy Scripture will have a regular place in my life for
the sake of grasping the nature of God and understanding his heart and
will for humanity.

RESOLVED that my faith will be informed and guided by Holy Scripture
above my own inclinations, desires, or tendency at self-justification.

RESOLVED that 2012 will be a year of adventure in which I seek out new
friends, learn new skills, and contribute to new causes that are
worthwhile.

RESOLVED that I will exhibit sensitivity to the needs and desires of
people around me so that their lives can be better and happier because
of my presence.

RESOLVED that hope built on the faithful promises of God will dominate
any tendency I have to carry pessimism and gloom into the lives of
others.

RESOLVED that the Kingdom of God will be a practical concept for me in
2012 and that I will try to nudge the world back toward Eden for
heaven's sake.

RESOLVED that righteousness will be my daily passionate pursuit as I
try to speak, act, and relate in ways that consciously imitate Jesus
Christ.

RESOLVED that joy will accompany me and flow through me to people who
live in a world that too often seems to revel in negatives and foster
melancholy.

RESOLVED that a lifestyle of peace will replace the frenetic worry and
hectic pace that only frustrates me and tends to annoy others.

In January, March, or September, these declarations of intent carried
through would make a difference that would make all the difference.

  Create in me a pure heart,a O God,
  and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).