The Right Resolution for 2007

With one week into the new year, I wonder how it is going for you. Have you kept the resolutions you made or have you already drifted and denied what you had promised yourself? More than 50% of Americans had as their top resolution to, spend more time with family and of course this ran close to the banishing extra poundage from our bodies and getting in better physical shape. With studies showing that over 66% of American adults are overweight it is not surprising to find weight loss as a popular resolution. Some desire to quit smoking, others to quit drinking, some to enjoy life more and that may be the result of another top ten resolution, get out of debt. Others rounding out the top ten were getting organized and volunteering to help others. The greatest resolution we can make is to change our resolution. By this I mean what we see with our eyes and the quality of our perspective. We have all seen fuzzy, washed out or low resolution images. But when we see something that is High Resolution or High Definition the clarity is not only staggering but changes everything. My prayer for myself, my church and our community is that we will have a new resolution or ability to see ourselves, people, opportunities and even God in a new way. One resolution that is essential is a shift from self-centered to other-centered thinking. This new resolution will change everything about how we live. The Bible says, “My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people … ” Children only think of themselves; grown-ups think of others. God commands, “Don’t think only about your affairs, but be interested in others.” This is a difficult mental shift because we’re naturally self-absorbed and almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves. Yet, I was amazed that "helping others" made the top-ten resolutions for 2007. In order to have an "others view" of life we must remember how dependent we are upon God for everything. When we see ourselves as better and greater than others we have a fuzzy self view - our resolution is shot and we will be unable to see others the way we should. It is difficult to retrain our eyes and to recalibrate our resolution. If you have always seen things a certain way, change is hard. When you see something negative - see it as changing. When you see a problem, see it with the potential to change and as changing. Proverbs reminds us, "he who diligently looks for good and seeks favor will see it, but he who looks for bad and evil, it will come to him. (11:27)
We see what we look for and it is a matter of resolution and perspective.In 1723, theologian Jonathan Edwards, "Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever." Edward's resolution required a change in his perception. For us it requires a shift from how we view things each day. Train your eyes to look for the evidence of God's presence and not the evidence of God's absence. If you are looking for God's absence you'll conclude there is no God. But if you are looking with godly resolution to the presence of God, you will conclude God is everywhere. It comes down to a change in our resolution - how we see life. Do some adjusting in your resolution this year and gain a new view. "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." - James Oppenhiem. As we train our eyes to see what is good and as we adjust our resolution capabilities we will see the simple things again and value them. We will see others in need and assist them, we will see our problems as changing. May you receive fresh courage to adjust your resolution and in so doing, see that God has surrounded you with opportunities to have this become your best year ever.