I came across this post on a pastor’s blog that gave me a slightly different angle on the new year. I thought it was good enough to just quote in its entirety right here:
Sometimes our resolutions are so fancy and productive that they become a distraction. I know I’ve spent past New Year’s Days compiling lists of all the things that I want to change. Then I get to the end of the day and feel overwhelmed by the list and decide to just give up. No matter how SMART or DUMB the goals are, if you are buried in them you’ll lose.
Maybe you need to dissolve this New Year. Let your sense of self take a back seat to your family, your church, your staff. Instead of resolving to change a bunch of things about yourself, maybe it’s time to look out for the interests of others.
I know this blog is devoted to using media in sermons, but what if pushing for media is hurting your church? Maybe you don’t need to do it this year. Maybe you need to love people and put your desires off for a while. I’m not saying you should cave to pressure, that’s not helpful. Rather consider the needs of others first.
Maybe it’s time to dissolve this New Year
Of course! How wrapped up we get in ourselves that we don’t even realize it. Can you imagine what it would be like if even just the men in our country decided to turn their attention to their marriages, their families, their communities – their sons and daughters? How many dads/fathers have a new year’s resolution to make more time to meet the needs of his family (and I’m not talking about working more so he can provide for them – that achieves the opposite) From what I’ve learned so far, what a family needs of a dad/husband is an abundance of relational time. Engagement. Affection. Encouragement. Honesty. Integrity.
If I made that my new year’s resolution, I wouldn’t have time to work on anything else – and I’d probably have the most fulfilling year ever. Go figure.
Happy new year, everybody! Let’s spend the year putting our family and friends first!