Articles

Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions

By Candy Arrington

There is something exciting about a new year. Viewing the coming year in light of all the great things God is going to do brings a sense of anticipation. As a writer, I see the new year stretch before me like a nice white, blank sheet of paper. At the moment, there are no mistakes on it, no blotches, no grammar errors in need of correction, no misplaced paragraphs, no sentences to delete, and no words left out. Though all these things will surely come as the year progresses, for now, the sheet is blank.

Manuscript Flaws

Because I am human, imperfect, and a sinner, I’m going to make mistakes. I’m going to mess up many times during the year. When I lose my temper, letting anger spill out like an overturned bottle of ink, smudges will appear on that nice white paper. When I utter hurtful, thoughtless statements, I will mar the sheet like grammar errors in need of erasure. By failing to seek God’s guidance and hear his voice, opportunities for kingdom service will go unrealized. I’ll be out of step with His will for my life like a paragraph that doesn’t fit in a story. Selfish, unholy thoughts are sentences better left off the paper. Unsaid words of affirmation, kindness, and encouragement are missing phrases in this year’s story.

Master Editor

So, as I begin this new year, I resolve to write a story worthy of the Master Editor’s review. An editor is one who reads the completed manuscript and discovers the flaws and imperfections. No matter how much proofing I do on the final story of this year, I will miss some of the errors. Even if I proof the manuscript as I go, I will still miss mistakes. But, if I allow God, the Master Editor, to make suggestions and corrections as I write the story of this year, when the story is finished, it will meet the editor’s guidelines.

Guidelines

Writers must have guidelines or they write stories that are unacceptable. If, as a Christian, I do whatever pleases me, what seems right in my own eyes, my story will wander aimlessly and be meaningless.

Here are the guidelines for writing this year’s life story:

• HONOR - “You shall have no other God’s before me.” Exodus 20:3. What things do I have as gods in my life? Money, possessions, people, or activities can all be gods. I must seek daily to honor God above all. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Honoring God doesn’t mean giving up other things rather it helps me put things in proper perspective.

• FOCUS - This is accomplished through a daily quiet time. If I honor God and love Him, I will make the necessary effort to spend time alone with Him. A commitment of just fifteen minutes a day is a start. Of twenty-four hours in a day, fifteen minutes is not much of my time. If I’m not willing to spend that small amount of time with God, do I really love Him? How can I expect to hear His voice or benefit from his instruction if I don’t spend time with Him? If I’m not spending time with Him, how can He correct errors in the manuscript as I write the story of this year?

• TRUST - Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Philippians 4:6, 7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” I believe God has my best interests at heart and trust him to make corrections in the story of my life that will only make it better. If I try to write my story without his input, it won’t be the best story it could be. There will be a story but I probably won’t be nearly as interesting as it could be with God’s perfect direction, instruction, and correction.

• SURRENDER - In surrendering self to Christ’s lordship, I submit to self-examination. I agree to look at myself with a magnifying glass and begin to see some of the imperfections that God sees in me. Surrender involves, honesty, confession, and repentance. I must look honestly at my motives for what I do and say. I must examine my thought life and see if I need to confess what I’m thinking about and turn from those thoughts. I need to look at the person I am that no one else but God sees and decide if that person is writing a life story that could have the title Christian placed on it. I must be willing to allow the Master Editor to make corrections, deletions, and additions to my story.

• FOLLOW - Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Following involves action. I can’t follow someone and sit. I have to be moving. If I’m not willing to move with God, to seek and follow him daily, spiritually I’m going nowhere.

Spiritual Resolutions

I usually don’t do New Year’s resolutions but this year I have. My resolutions are spiritual New Year’s resolutions. I resolve to HONOR God above all other people and things, to FOCUS on him in Bible study and prayer, to TRUST him to guide my life along the best path, to SURRENEDER my will and selfish desires to his lordship, and to FOLLOW his leadership. By adhering to these guidelines, I allow the Master Editor to craft a manuscript, a story that will be pleasing in his sight.