“No” Year’s Resolutions

I chose not to make annual (New Year’s) resolutions because I found a practice that was more effective for me: daily resolutions!

Last week, a friend’s 2012 New Year’s resolution status update caught my attention. It reminded me of the years when I used to make my own list for New Year’s Day. But after I found out that God’s sacred year didn’t start in January and that New Year’s celebrations had pagan roots, I stopped making resolutions tied into that day.

Not declaring annual resolutions on New Year’s Day does not mean I don’t make long-term goals anymore. I just found a different approach that works for me: a daily resolution.

Some top New Year’s resolutions

According to the December 2007 survey of the Social Weather Station here in the Philippines, our people’s top two 2008 New Year’s resolution responses were “to have a better family life” (12 percent) and “to work harder/look for work/venture into business” (11 percent).

Other responses enumerated in the survey include “to improve my attitude or to become a better person,” “to have better health or live longer,” “to control my temper” and many more.

Self-improvement

All these New Year’s resolutions share a common denominator: the improvement of the self. This is a worthy goal. But New Year’s resolutions are generally soon forgotten and the goals, no matter how well-intentioned, are soon abandoned.

I’ve decided to try to dig deeper into the Bible to maximize its use every single day of my life. The following verses suggest to me some biblical “daily resolutions” that I hope to never forget or abandon:

1. Ephesians 4:26: “‘Be angry and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” Many people have the New Year’s resolution to control their temper. The Bible’s instruction breaks this subject down into a daily commitment. God doesn’t even want us to end our day without resolving the cause and the consequence of our anger.
2. Matthew 5:24-25: “First be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly.” For the 12 percent of the Filipino respondents who commit to having a better family life or for anyone who desires more meaningful relationships, Jesus Christ clearly commands us to mend any misunderstanding with anyone, as soon as possible.
3. Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” This is perhaps very appropriate to the 11 percent of the Philippines’ SWS respondents who pledged to work harder/look for work/venture into business. King Solomon advises us to give all that we can in anything we do. This approach is the exact opposite of two of our Filipino bad habits: the mañana habit (procrastination) and ningas-kugon (the habit of starting off something with enthusiasm then quickly letting our enthusiasm wane, resulting in unfinished tasks).

God’s Word helps us realize the importance of strengthening our resolve to follow His instructions on a daily basis (Acts 17:11).

For a long-term Christian goal, we are even warned to always be prepared, to keep watch of our thoughts, words and actions each hour, in constant anticipation of that second coming of Jesus Christ (Luke 12:40).

Cathy Castillano resides in Tacloban City, Philippines. She began attending the Church of God in 2004.

For more about fulfilling goals and plans, see:

• Planning in Pencil
• Be a Doer
• No Time to Waste