New Year's Resolution

I don't know about you, but I've never been one to make a New Year's Resolution. Every year there seems to be so much hype, but is anyone ever still following their resolution after three months? One Month? One week? I really don't see much of a point in making a resolution if you can not realistically stick to it. What's the point of setting a goal for yourself if it in all likelihood will not last 1/12 of the intended timeframe? If a made a resolution, I would want to keep it for the whole year rather than just a couple months. I am looking for lasting change, not something temporary.

Are people not able to keep their resolutions because they set the bar too high, or is it because they get distracted from other things in life and just forget about it? Or maybe we are choosing resolutions that we don't really desire to keep. We are making the resolutions for the wrong reasons, and how could we expect to achieve something if we are not really committed to it in our heart?

I watched a sermon today on New Year's Resolutions, so my mind has been on the whole idea. The pastor's main message was that most of our Resolutions are based on ourselves- lose X amount of weight, get out of debt, etc. etc. What we should do instead is to make a resolution not based on ourselves but on others. By putting the emphasis on doing something for other people, you now have a purpose which is a driving force for action. Yes, it would be great to lose some weight, but if I end up not losing any weight, no big deal, there are no external consequences that negatively affect others. But if the consequences of our resolutions weigh heavily on others, we are now accountable to those people who will not gain the good we have to offer them if we fall short! We are expanding our mindset from within to without. We are beginning to see things from God's point of view!

Phillipians 2:3 states "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."

By making our purposes for others we begin to make a mental shift in our motivations for why we do things. And isn't that what it's all about? Jesus' whole ministry was based on the compassion he had for other people through serving them. Can you think of a single time where Jesus did something to satisfy his own selfish desires?

My resolution has been to start this blog. But if there is not a compelling force behind that resolution, I don't see it lasting much more than a month. If I consider that my blog might be able to help someone by motivating them in a positive way, I have a purpose that is outside of myself. It is no longer about likes, popularity, or money made for myself, but how my posts could affect the readers. My purpose has changed, which I'm hoping is the real solution to keeping our New Year's Resolution. Make your purposes about others, and real, permanent change will begin to take place.