Resolutions

Much attention is given today to New Year’s resolutions. Losing weight and exercising more usually lead the list for many of us, especially after the gluttony of the holiday season. With the arrival of credit card bills and tax forms, the call for better financial management is heard by others. Recently, I read that nearly half of the adults in this country make resolutions and 25 percent of people break them in the first week. Six months later the majority of those making resolutions have broken them. However, according to several sources, making resolutions is useful. Those who do so are more likely to modify their behavior than those who don’t set specific goals. Of course, many fail a number of times before success.

So, one more time, I have been giving thought to those things that need to be my resolutions for the coming year. John Wesley’s Covenant Service begins with these words of invitation: “Commit yourselves to Christ as his servants.” With this in mind, I remember these words of Howard Thurman:

When the song of the angels is still,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost.
To heal the broken.
To feed the hungry.
To release the prisoner.
To rebuild the nations.
To bring peace among brothers (and sisters).
To make music in the heart.

It is the acts of compassion and mercy that define our servanthood and fulfill resolutions that make a real difference not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. Blessed are those who live in the Word.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Thanks for your responses to this blog. It has become an important discipline as I try to connect my faith to the world around me.