The New Year's Solution

It’s the New Year and it got me thinking about “resolutions”.  

“Resolve” is a strong word.  It can mean making progress from dissonance to consonance (like resolving a musical chord), a mathematical solution, clearing up a dispute, finding an answer, a legal determination, to break up or separate (as in resolving light into a play of color), and fixity of purpose.

“Fixity of purpose” is the secret to actually keeping a New Year’s Resolution.  The trouble is that we typically identify New Year’s Resolutions in areas of our life where we really struggle with “fixity of purpose”.  We pretty much set ourselves up to fail!

“The trouble is that we typically identify New Year’s Resolutions in areas of our life where we really struggle with “fixity of purpose”.  We pretty much set ourselves up to fail! ”

It brings to mind the passage in Romans 7, where Paul describes the battle between our will and our sinful nature. I love how The Message says it, because it sounds just like me!

“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”

Jesus is The Solution to our lack of resolve! So, although I have lots of goals, dreams and aspirations, this year I have just one resolution – and that is to walk more closely with Jesus and allow Him to work in and through me.

My prayer for you for 2020 is that you come to know The Solution in a deeper and more personal way.

Happy New Year!

Melissa