Do you make resolutions at the beginning of each new year?
Years ago I concluded that New Year’s Resolutions are useless for me, maybe even counterproductive, and decided to make monthly resolutions instead. If I do well in keeping one, I make a new one for the next month. If not, I renew the resolution of the month just ending. Sometimes I renew a lapsed resolution from months or even years past. This works better for me than once-a-year hopeful purposing.
However…
Lately, I’ve neglected New Month’s Resolutions, just let them go by the wayside. That just might explain my too often scatteredness of focus and uncertainty of intent.
So, today, I renew the practice.
From my personal journal:
“November 1, 2016 To-do’s-day
To do: Make a New-Month’s Resolution
New Month’s Resolution (to do every day):
At least once each day: take the time, make the time, to note in my journal the moments or incidents when God’s presence or workings in my life were evident to me, during the previous twenty-four hours. Include thanks for his gifts and surprises of the day.
Of course this is going to involve—no, require—my paying attention throughout each day in order to notice, recognize, and appreciate God’s presence and working.
So starting right now, concerning the last twenty-four hours, I’ll try to remember what I can. And concerning the twenty-four hours in front of me I’m aiming to look for the evidences of His presence and workings, and “listen” for what He might be trying to get through to my too-often dull spiritual ears…
(Dear LORD and Helper, please bless my intent and effort. Please be much with me and work within me. Open my eyes, my ears, and bend and steer my heart, my will. Amen.)
***
What New Month’s Resolution might be helpful for you this month?
*****
I never thought of them as resolutions, but my planner has a page for Goals for the Month. On the months I actually use it, I make a Spiritual goal, an “art” goal, a home goal and work goal. Flipping through, I can tell I need to make a goal about being more disciplined about using the planner. I feel like the art goal gives me permission to do collage, paint, spin and weave, but mostly it is supposed to focus me on one project to complete it.
I think goals are very useful, maybe better than resolutions, in that there’s a clear destination you’re aiming at. In fact, I started out thinking in terms of “goals,” and the “objectives” involved in reaching them. (Remember “goals and objectives” in teaching, or was that before your time?) But what would have gone in my planner started getting pretty “cluttery,” so I decided to pare my aims down to one per month and concentrate my focus there. But now, after your comment, I’m going think how I might incorporate some kind of measurable end goal for November 30th, if I can figure one out for something as abstract as this month’s resolution. Thanks for the thoughts, Laurie!
Sylvia- I appreciate this idea and intention. I remember a few years back reading a verse about how God would provide monthly fruit in heaven. “The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month.” (Revelation 22, The Message)
I think a monthly resolution is easier to track, as well. It’s fun to go back through my journal and look for a theme or fruit from the month.
Monthly fruit. A special fruit each month! Yes, I remember reading that in Revelation. I just never thought of making a connection with my own monthly resolutions. I really like this imagery and idea, Kel—especially being able to go back through the year’s journal looking for the “fruit of the month.”