Better eat up the last of that Christmas fudge! At the stroke of midnight it’s time to break out the celery sticks and toast in the New Year with a Diet Coke. Oh- scratch that, if you’re like me, Diet Coke triggers hunger….make that a nice glass of selzer water.
Oh bleck. Count me out. Not because I find selzer water disgusting (which I do) or celery revolting (which I don’t)…but rather because I’m tired of life by the rule book.
And let the record show…for the most part, resolutions and accountability groups simply don’t work for most people. Why? Because they make us little law keepers. Learning to live loved and by its principals will yield true, lasting change.
Instead of a list of diet rules—adopting a love for self that naturally causes you to yield to a healthier lifestyle.
Instead of hauling out the ole ball and chain curriculum box for your kid—allowing your kids time to explore who he is. (The true basis for education.)
Need to quit gossiping this year? How about asking God to transform your heart so your love for people reels in disgust at the thought of speaking badly of another.
Our human tendancy is to run to the law. Modern Jews, God bless ‘em, have assembled a dizzying-list of laws, much longer than was ever laid out in the Torah. And we Christians aren’t any better—most of our Christian life is validated by a performance driven culture which leaves us perpetually plodding one tired foot in front of the other.
And here–I’ll step on some toes–Accountability groups merely become another stage for the performance trap.
Do you suppose Ghandi and Mother Teresa kicked their year off with resolutions? Do you suppose Paul and the other Apostles kicked off their year with a planning pow wow? (“Hey boys! Open your daytimers to the month of January!”) It challenges my goal-driven heart.
Am I against goals? Absolutely not! But we need to remember that goals, vis a-vi laws, have their limitations. At their deepest level, they should point us to grace. You know…the stuff Paul wrote to the Galatians.
I hope this is the year that I…and you, tap deeper into the amazing riches of God’s love for you and enjoy the rest it provides.
PS. Join in the grace discussion at The God Journey.
Filed under: church, church life, Goal Setting, Personal development, Spirituality, The God Journey Tagged: | goals, Grace, living loved, The God Journey
Good post, but – did you know that it’s snowing on your blog? What’s that all about? I thought it was your goal to avoid snow. Oh – I finally get it. You’re not doing goals anymore. That’s why it’s snowing. Never mind.
pj
This is the only kind of “good” snow. Hey- it was a funsy option WordPress offered and I thought it would add a little spice to my space.
This is the year I am hopping to aimlessly and without goals, drift down to the Florida Keys the day it gets below 75 degrees in TN.
PJ—You crack us up.