|
January 1st is often a time for looking back on the past and looking forward to the coming year. It is a time to reflect on the changes we want to make in our lives and resolve to follow through on those changes. Common New Year’s Resolutions include losing weight, joining a gym, stop smoking, balance your finances, take a vacation, spend more time relaxing, and spending more time with family and friends. I would like to suggest a great New Year’s resolution would be to live our faith in our daily lives. We can accomplish this in many ways including taking at least ten minutes each day for prayer, attending Worship every Sunday, joining a Sunday School class or Bible study group, volunteering for a committee or project at church, volunteering in the community to serve others, do one nice thing for someone else each day, see each person you meet as a child of God, send a card to the people on our prayer list, open your hearts to change, practice forgiveness and mercy.
Here are five steps to help us decided upon and accomplish our resolutions. Step 1: Be realistic by setting achievable goals. Step 2: Describe your resolutions in specific terms. Instead of saying, "I want to be a better Christian” say, "I will volunteer in my community for one hour every week" or "I will be in Worship every Sunday." Step 3: Break down large goals into smaller ones. For instance, commit to being more active in our community of faith by thinking about your gifts and talents and volunteering for a committee or project that uses these gifts and talents. Step 4: Find alternatives to a behavior that you want to change and make them part of your resolution plan. If you want to more active, but you are having health problems: can you join our prayer chain group, pray for each person in our congregation or send cards to our shut-ins? Step 5: Above all, aim for things that are truly important to you, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect of you.
I hope you have a blessed 2010. Pastor Monica
|