This morning I picked up a book off a pile of unwanted books in the workout room in our house. It was a vague title by an unknown author (probably the reason it was headed to Goodwill!)
I flipped through the pages between my benchpress set and curls set (Yes, physical conditioning is one of my new year’s resolutions…) Then I set the book back down.
I realized this was a parable so many of my new year’s resolutions. The book was a fine thing to pick up, but all too easy to drop.
How does your resolution list look my mid-February? Does it look like a box of abandoned books? How is it doing in June? Here’s the deal: Your best resolution will profit little if your resolve wanes before the fruit is borne.
This something the writer of Ecclesiastes saw clearly as well.
“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”
Ecclesiastes 7:8
We all get excited about the new year. And it’s great to have a fresh start. But a fresh start to what? What if the end of the year were just as exciting, or better yet, more exciting?
Let’s join Steven Covey and “begin with the end in mind.” What do you want the end of this year to look like? Don’t just think about the new year, think about the whole year. The key to a successful year is not how keen your resolutions are but how strong your resolve is. Persistence, slow and steady, day by day, will turn the flywheel of you life.
The key to a successful year is not how keen your resolutions are but how real your resolve is. #persistence
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So take that list, and figure out which items you are committed to doing. Then make plans to work on your plans by answering these questions:
- How are you going to make this resolution measurable?
- What do you need to change or remove to make room for this?
- How will you keep this resolution/goal in front of you?
- What friend have you enlisted to hold you accountable?
I hope you will have a year marked by persistence! Leave me a comment and let me know how you plan to be resolved about your resolutions.
. . . As I Follow Christ 
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Good challenge. But I need to take it in chunks first. Make it through the first day, the first week, the first month. I do like the idea of persistence and visualizing the next year. ek
Yes, that’s the point. Small bite and chew. It sounds like that’s what you are doing. Your day-by-day consistency will out perform big, bold resolutions. That is persistence!
Some changes, goals, whatever needs improvement takes years and it is persistence (and God’s grace) that keeps us working toward that end.
Thanks Mike. I’m glad you added “and God’s grace.” That is actually a necessary help for any change.
Great thoughts, Pastor Tim!
I find it difficult to prioritize which goal is the most pertinent. So they sit stagnant. But ironically, if I prioritized consistently taking small steps towards each goal regardless of which one was the biggest and the “best,” they would all progressively build on one another! This is an excellent reminder of that truth.
Thanks for your comment. One way to think about priorities is to ask yourself, “what one goal (if accomplished) might help me better meet the other goals?”