New Year's resolutions, or not

Designing a life.  Building a better life.  In the New Year, we are always trying to reinvent ourselves, or so we are told we should.

So I recently picked up a book called, Design Your Life (affiliate).  I'm a few chapters in and keep saying to myself, I could have written this!  This is so much like my story!  It is not so much about "forging a path" as it is about waiting on God, listeneing to and obeying God, and letting Him lead the way.

People hate change.  People like change. People avoid change.  There are varied responses regarding how we view change in our lives.  Some welcome it, others not so much.  Some changes are beyond our control - i.e. a pandemic.

Yet all of these New Year's resolutions we're encouraged to make - each one is about change!  As if the lives we are already living are somehow not enough.

Now there is always room for improvement, right?

But the pressure of needing to change every New Year is a bit much. 

Hence, I no longer make New Year's resolutions.  

I simply prefer to let God lead the way in His time, His seasons for me.  And His timing does not always involve January 1st! 

We all like a fresh start, the idea that we can hopefully do things better, that life will be better, that we'll finally lose those extra pounds, or whatever.

But January 1st holds no magical properties.  We can make better choices any time we like, whether it is January 1st or June 1st!

Proberbs 16:9 says:

"The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

The Lord's plans are always, without question, better than any plans we could make for ourselves.  Only problem is, His plans don't always look like or feel like they are the best for us.  The Lord's plans hold much suffering, many detours, and often us not getting our own way or what we think we want.  Any takers?

So if you are feeling the pressure to make those New Year's resolutions, or you have already given up on them (!), don't give it too much power over you. 

Instead, trust in the Lord's timing, His changes for you, and let Him lead you in the best way for you - not in all of the ways that the world would have you change.

Change for the sake of change is never a good idea.  But when you belong to the Lord, His changes are wonderful and always in our best interest.

He does and will lead us!  He lives outside of time, so I'm guessing that January 1st is not a New Year to Jesus, it simply is part of an eternal continuum. 

To be led by Christ is nothing like being self-driven, or outer-driven.  It is gentler and much more in rhythm with how He wants us to live our lives; dependent on Him, His timing, His ways, His authority - whatever the calendar says!

Dear Lord.  Thank You that You always, without fail, know what is best for us and when.  Help us trust Your "when," Lord.  Help us keep in step with the Holy Spirit by obeying You.  And when life isn't moving fast enough for us, or slow enough (!), please remind us that You do all things well and that You make everything beautiful in its time.  Thank You that we cannot go wrong when we follow You!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.