New Year's and Such.
This week is "New Year's" yet again. It happens every year. And every year, I get somewhat nostalgic. I enjoy my life. I enjoy my family. I enjoy my church. God has given me an incredible place to serve him with incredible people to serve with.
But there is a feeling that I feel yearly at the New Year that I wish that I didn't feel. And I believe that this feeling is really where "new year's resolutions" come from. It is the feeling of regret. It is the feeling of not doing what you had intended to do in the past year. So, to not feel regretfully nostalgic, people tend to make New Year's resolutions. And I have refused to do so for a LONG time. I refuse to wallow in my regret and misery and then make some comittment based on the feeling that is currently pervading my heart. I make comittments through the rest of the year, to God, to my wife, to my son, to my church, and to friends. I am not sure why I need to force a comittment right here and right now simply because it is a new year. Instead of being regretfully nostalgic, I want to instead be joyfully thankful for all that God has given me and be content where he has me right now!
With all of that being said, regret is not wrong, often it forces us to change the pattern of behavior that we are engaged in. But it can become wrong the more I dwell on it and beat myself up over it. My biggest regret the past year is that there were times where I didn't allow God to use me as his tool. There were times when I should have submitted to who HE is and allowed him to drain me of who he is.
Have a great week everyone and Have a great "thankful" New Year!
-PC.
posted by Pastor Chris Rollman @ 5:18 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
I can agree with you that New Years Resolutions are based on regret of what we did not do in the past year; however, I do not believe that this time necessarily needs to be a time of thankfulness and nostalgia. I think often it is often easy to make a resolution based on regret with no meaning, no thought, and no understanding of why it is necessary to make such a resolution. However, when we are forced to look into our past year and examine our regrets and the times we would change the resolution can be used as a tool in which we change our lives and our beings, just like commitments you make durring the year a resolution needs to have follow up and guidence otherwise you will never keep your resolution. I view resolutions the same way I see camps and retreats, when we are forced to face our sins and our foleys head on we recognize a need for change and though we don't ever want to be the one who says that he is going to change and never does we still get caught up in a whirl wind of emotion and make the necessary changes, I think that because we are not forced to face our past year in the same way that we face our sins at a retreat we have a tendency to rebel against the tradition. I don't think it is un healthy or unnecessary to make resolutions, in fact think making new years resolutions are very healthy; however, it is important to go into the new year with the same passion as one would when he leaves a life changing retreat, or at least the passion one should have when leaving a life altering retreat.
Good thoughts Aaron. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I have no problems with folks who do. I think you are right that New Years can be a catalyst for change, I just think sometimes people beat themselves up way to much with regret. Does that make sense?
c.
Yeah it does.
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