It’s that time of the year again when it’s trendy to put some resolutions together for the new season. For some it’s an uncomfortable exercise that is only completed for purposes of being socially acceptable at merry making gatherings and for others it’s an exciting journey they embark on as early as October of the ending year.
There’s no doubt that we all need these resolutions if for nothing else to give us a sense of guidance and purpose as the New Year begins. With all we have seen this year it looks like the ground is ripe for sowing new seeds to take us to places we never thought we would go. With so much hope in the air it’s a new kind of exciting to see what the future holds. That being said is all the more reason to take the extra time in making sure that the resolutions we do set are not just colourful but effective.
Lies are a sexy hindrance
Just like any other thing we know to be sinful lies are particularly pleasurable whether in the form of hearsay, modified truth or omitted facts. Most of us like to play judge by weighing lies on how offensive they are. We are less offended if we believe the lie was told for a “good” reason and more offended if it was just a blatant misrepresentation of facts to manipulate certain outcomes.
The downside to these yummy distractions that we love to snack on is that they are not just restricted to the fictional screen but they filter into our reality and create a warped sense of existence even in our daily lives. Our minds are very loyal to our thoughts especially if we do not exercise regular renewing of the mind [Romans 12:2] and they thrive on maintaining the reality we think is real. Imagine the damage it can cause to your morale when you set New Year’s resolutions from the wrong reality. It’s kind of scary isn’t it? to think that you can live your whole life under the deceptions of your mind until the truth is illuminated to set you free.
The lies we tell
- I’m fine :- are you really? Or is pride keeping you from getting help or admitting that you need it. We carry unnecessary burdens in life because we can’t bring ourselves to be seen as heavy laden. We’d much rather be the lender and never the borrower, the head and never the tail so we create secret rooms in our hearts that God is not allowed into because he may disrupt our perfect lives and ruin our reputation. It’s worth taking some alone time to ask yourself how you really are and if you are not as okay as you would like to be then that’s okay it means you are human and there is still room for your salvation. God doesn’t give brownie points so you don’t need to put on a star performance with Him. “…While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” [Romans 5:8].
- I’m not happy, I need a divorce :- your happiness is your responsibility and it comes from the peace of knowing that you are complete. The problem is that we often choose our life partner at the wrong time or in the wrong frame of mind and we don’t realise that we have doomed ourselves to divorce long before we encounter problems in the relationship. If you are planning to take the next step in 2018 take some alone time and ask yourself the hard questions because sometimes when it happens it’s not even about divorcing the other person but it’s about divorcing the mistake you made when you compromised your own desires. It’s important to respect marriage but DO NOT worship it, don’t bring your dreams to its altar and sacrifice them for what you think is love, don’t ignore the warning signals when he/she shows you who they really are the first time (we often go into a beauty and the beast mindset where we believe we can “fix” our person but no one can fix another person..we can’t even fix ourselves until God gives us the revelation and conviction to change.)
- We’re just having “fun” :- we’ve all (or at least the ones of us who live in this world and are willing to be honest about it) been in those relationships that we know aren’t going anywhere. He’s cute, she’s hot but none of those elements are what you are looking for in the long run. Why don’t you both do yourselves a favour and stop playing games. The time you are wasting together is just going to be more baggage to deal with when you finally meet the right person. You’re going to wonder if they are playing you like X did or if they just want to hit it like Y did. So you messed around and got your heart broken, it happens, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road for you so before you throw what’s left of your life away deal with the shame by being honest about it and show yourself some empathy. “..But I ain’t never seen a perfect man..just people saved by grace” that’s my favourite line from the song “Rebuild me” by J. Moss.
Letting God rebuild you is the best New Year’s resolution you can make this and every year of your life from here on out..Why? Because His grace is sufficient.
