Resolution Revolution

I used to be the queen of New Year's resolutions. You name it, I resolved it: exercise more, eat less chocolate (though why anyone would want to do that is beyond me), read through the Bible in a year, and keep a cleaner house. The list went on and on. But come February, those resolutions were nothing more than guilt-inducing reminders of my failures scribbled in my journal.

Recently, when someone asked if I still made New Year's resolutions, I had to chuckle. "No," I replied, "I've given up on giving up things." The irony wasn't lost on either of us.

But here's what I've discovered in my journey away from resolution-making: God isn't interested in our annual goal-setting nearly as much as He's interested in our daily surrender. Think about it. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He didn't say, "Give us this year our yearly bread." No, in Matthew 6:11, He specifically said, "Give us this day our daily bread."

There's something profound in that simple request. It's as if Jesus knew we'd be prone to getting ahead of ourselves, making grand plans and elaborate schemes, when what He really wants is for us to depend on Him one day at a time.

I remember one particularly ambitious New Year when I resolved to wake up at 5:30 AM every day for prayer and Bible study. By January 3rd, I was hitting the snooze button with religious fervor. The problem wasn't the goal itself.  After all, spending more time with God is always good. The problem was trying to force a year-long commitment instead of seeking God's guidance for each new day.

Now, instead of making resolutions, I start each morning with a simple prayer: "Lord, what do You have for me today?" Sometimes He leads me to that early morning prayer time. Other days, He knows I need the extra rest and meets me in the quiet afternoon instead. The pressure is off, and surprisingly, I'm accomplishing more than I ever did with my rigid resolutions.

The Bible tells us in Lamentations 3:23 that God's mercies "are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Every morning—not every year, not every quarter, but every single morning. That's the kind of fresh start I need, and I suspect you might too.

So this year, instead of making resolutions that will likely be forgotten by Groundhog Day, why not try a revolution instead? A daily revolution of surrender, letting God lead each step, each decision, each moment. It's less about our determination and more about His direction. Less about our willpower and more about His will.

After all, He's already promised to provide exactly what we need…one day at a time.