Best Intentions

Happy New Year!! Did you stay up and watch the ball drop? Me neither. What's the point? A new year happens on this same day every year. There's no stopping it. So what's the big deal? It does have kind of a "starting over" feel to it and perhaps why we all make resolutions but, unless we actually make a change, nothing's really new.

And by "change" I'm talking about something permanent. A change made without true commitment is not change. It's a pause.

We can say we're going to eat better but if we grab a six-pack of Glazers at KwikTrip on January 2nd and they're gone before we get home we've accomplished nothing.

New Year's resolutions are where "best intensions" go to die.

It's nice when people wish us a Happy Birthday, a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year but really, unless WE ourselves commit to it, unless life's events allow for it, all those wishes for us will fall flat.

In order to lose weight we need to make a change in our diet or exercise more than we do. We have to actually DO something along with our best intentions. It's called commitment.

I was chatting with a young friend of mine who lost her sister this year. Another friend of mine lost her husband. Can we really say Happy New Year to them and expect a smile in return?

If you really want to impact someone's life in a positive way you are going to have to do something to effect that change. Resolutions mean nothing. Actually doing something does.

Most resolutions disappear within a few days, whether it's New Year's Day or not. Would you like to see an actual change in your life this year? Make your resolutions a prayer. And make those prayers a daily thing. Hourly. As often as needed. We ourselves can do little but pray to God, someone who actually can change the human heart, and watch what happens.

To those who have suffered a loss this year, I am sorry that your heart has been damaged. I pray that God would heal them and stop the pain that took away the love you had stored there. But you will need to pray too. If you do that one thing, a change will happen. You can be assured of that.

God answers our prayers. But He will only answer them if you are His - a son or a daughter - and if we are praying according to His will in the first place. And how do we do that? It's called surrender.

Try this prayer on for size and see if it fits your life right now.

God, this past year has been the worst year of my life. I just don't know what to do anymore. It seems like when ever I try to change things for the better, something happens and I end up right back where I started. I am tired of failing. I am tired of hurting. I've tried things my way and they never seem to work out. I am ready to try something new. Something different. I'm going to quit trying to change things for myself and to allow YOU to make a change in me. Would you please come into my life and change me? All those things I did last year, make them fade away. Replace them with new hope. I need hope. I know I have done wrong, sinned I guess you call it. I'm sorry. Help me make a change. I'm ready to try things your way. Thank you. Amen.

If you are willing to make that change I guarantee you that 2020 will be your best year yet. And if you've already made that change, pray for opportunities to speak into someone's life and tell them how God changed YOUR life. It might be just the thing someone needs to hear to finally convince them that God is the place where true change is found.