Resolution season: Retrospection, introspection, prospection
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Rev. Christopher Todd
Words of Restoration
For many, this time of year is a season of retrospection — looking back on the occurrences of the year, what went well, what didn’t. This is also a season of introspection — a look to the inside. This is also a season of prospection — a look to the future. It’s resolution season.
Some studies suggest that 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. A study in the “Journal of Clinical Psychology” suggests that about 50% of us make New Year’s resolutions.
Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with assessment and aspirations for changes in your life. The problem, however, is that only 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions.
Why do they fail? Professor of Psychology Timothy Pychyl gives a few reasons: 1) resolutions are a form of “cultural procrastination,” 2) we set unrealistic goals, 3) our resolutions produce false hope, 4) the cause-and-effect relationship — you think that doing one thing will completely change your entire life and when it doesn’t, you just go back to old habits.
Beyond that, here is the truth: you can lose weight, but still carry extra baggage. You can go on another trip or vacation, but still not find rest. You can buy a new car and still not be going anywhere. You can move into a new house, but that doesn’t mean it’s a home. You can have the freshest clothes and still be dirty. You can buy another this and the latest that, but it won’t fulfill you.
While some of these goals may seem noble, the deeper reality is that too often we put too much stock in the exterior, the superficial, the temporal, and then feel let down when those things don’t satisfy the longings of our soul. The reality is that the deep satisfaction of our soul is not found in something, but in someone. You can’t have unspeakable joy or deep-seated peace; you won’t find fulfillment in substances, but with the source.
And for this type of fulfillment, it requires renewal, refocus, revival, and redirection. Change requires new neural pathways, new thinking. This idea, while discovered by brain scientists and psychotherapists looking at MRIs and learning about habitual behavior, is nothing new to the Lord — God has known about this from the beginning.
Hence, this is the reason why the totality of the Bible’s story shows us by precept, principle and example, that it’s through a change of heart and a change of mind, where we uncover soul satisfaction. We have to make our own these precepts and principles, which reveal that in order for us to be made new, for a new you in a new year, we must make our preeminent priority having a growing, personal and purposeful relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here’s how Paul describes this relationship in Philippians 3; there he says that everything else is less than — in fact, rubbish — compared to knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection. Everything else is loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord (Philippians 3:8).
I want to suggest to you that that is your key to a new you, as well. A new, or renewed, you is found in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ — both an intellectual and experiential knowledge of Jesus. There is no greater advantage in life outside of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross and gaining God’s acceptance by grace through faith. A new you is found in a deeper and fuller appreciation of Jesus — who He is and what He has done. And this only happens by personal relationship.
And so, as we close this year and embrace a new year, I want to suggest to you to pursue this quest for a new you in this new year by having the right aim, engaging in righteous actions and reaching forward. In the new year, make sure that the primary focus is on knowing Christ, that your goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:12). You strive for the right aim with right actions, releasing the former things — the wounds and even the wins of the past — so that you can reach forward to what lies ahead; like a runner on a race track, make the active, conscious commitment to the call of Christ and what He has in front of you, until the prize – complete knowledge of Jesus Christ – is claimed.
Now, this pursuit is a lifelong one, so know that we keep pressing toward this goal for the remainder of our lives. The good news, however, is that this pursuit, while lifelong, is rich and rewarding in the process. Paul shares, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14, NLT)
Experiential and intellectual knowledge of Jesus is our goal, this year and every year. This pursuit is what will bring you soul satisfaction, no matter the circumstances or situations you encounter.
Happy New Year, and God’s richest blessings upon you as you seek Him.
Christopher M. Todd is a Coosa County resident and the pastor of The New Home Missionary Baptist Church near Rockford.
