A New Year Resolution

In the beginning…

God created light in the darkness. The dawn of a new day had arrived. Mother Earth was glowing with newness of life and the possibilities were endless. There was harmony of existence and communication was easy.

So, what makes the first day different from today? Do you greet each morning with joy and gratitude? Are you weighed down with dread or fear? What is stopping you from enjoying the brand-new day ahead?

Let’s start with taking a good look at who and what fills your day.

New year resolutions are designed to help you become a better version of yourself. Perhaps you may try to drop bad habits and replace them with new healthier ones. Some people may work on troubled relationships or maybe try to be more attentive to the ones they are engaged in. Some resolutions are very clever and even comical! But as we all know, it is keeping them that is the challenge! Nevertheless, we each choose them personally, we soul search and decide what needs to change for the purpose of improving ourselves, and no one is perfect, after all.

Yet, though we are flawed, it is still possible to seek perfection because we are perfect in the eyes of our Creator! Imagine the reality of seeing what God sees! He knows us better than we know ourselves and He will most certainly bless our efforts to improve if it is accordance with His will for us. When we strive to become a better person, you will notice remarkable changes that are beneficial to you and most always to others. When you are looking to change for egotistic or selfish reasons, you may succeed, but proceed with caution. Remember, there was no place for the self-serving in the original garden of creation. There was no need for this behavior and therefore literally did not exist. You may be looking for a version of yourself which does not conform with whom God designed you to be.

Perhaps the best way to choose a new year resolution is to look at your God given gifts or talents you were born with. They were planted within us, like seeds of goodness. No two of us are created the same, so each of us has unique potential. No one person was given them all, therefore we depend upon each other to help us, lift us and enlighten us along the way. These traits are already there, waiting to be nourished and grown more fully to bear good fruit. In that thought, we must think of how our resolutions may possibly affect others. Remember, being a better person makes you a happier person…thus making you better company!

Thankfully, we are given many days to start a new resolution, not just January 1. We are slowly evolving into our full potential of our most holy self. In the beginning, God created days and nights which turned into weeks, then months. He generously created the wonderful change of the seasons providing many opportunities to adapt to new and healthy lifestyle changes. The fresh smell of springtime, summer sun and fun, a new school year, the colorful autumn leaves all inspire us to start anew! He designed all of this for our delight! Be thankful! The mere expression of gratitude is a seed for spiritual growth and opens doors for amazing improvements in attitude!

If you are considering a new year resolution, be honest with yourself. Are your goals reasonable and attainable? Will they make you a better person for all the right reasons?

Be kind… yet demand a response from yourself.

No challenge, no change.

If you fall off the wagon, no worries. Every day is a new beginning!

And then there is always Lent!

New Year Blessings to all…

Until our next walk through the garden…

- Anne