Today is the day that everyone focuses on improving
something about life in the New Year. As clocks strike midnight all across the
globe, good intentioned men and women scurry to confirm New Year resolutions. Of
course many if not most if not all New Year resolutions end up in the garbage pail
by the end of the first week of the New Year, but that won’t stop millions
across the globe for faithfully committing to improving their life next year.
By no means am I against New Year resolutions. It is just that we waste so much
time making resolutions about things that ultimately don’t matter. Here is the
top 10 for 2017 according to one website...
- Lose Weight
- Getting Organized
- Spend Less, Save More
- Enjoy Life to the Fullest
- Staying Fit and Healthy
- Learn Something Exciting
- Quit Smoking
- Help Others in Their Dreams
- Fall in Love
- Spend More Time with Family
What would Saint Paul have to say about New Year
resolutions? Would he worry about the same issues that we worry about? Consider
today’s Epistle Reading:
St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 6:11-16 (RSV) - Timothy, my son, aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, and King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
It isn’t that these issues are necessarily bad for us. In
fact there is most definitely a spiritual side to every issue listed, but I’m
not sure most people want to “spend less and save more” for the sake of their
soul. I could be wrong. I’ll be the first to admit people surprise me every day
with better intentions that I would have presumed. That being said however, if
the constant drive to build bigger economies own more things, I suspect people
are trying to save more in order to “eventually” own more, or at least have
more to spend later.
Nonetheless, I invite you today to consider your soul when
it comes to making your New Year resolution for 2017. To assist I often
encourage people to take the “Spiritual
Self-Assessment” I came up with a few years ago. You may want to add some
items to your resolution list.
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