New Year - Same Me.

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you.

Psalm 37:5

I don't know about you, but I’m really over New Years Resolutions. They are so overdone and in my opinion, actually detract from any sense of newness at all - they almost jinx it. Any new goals, any new aspirations, any new action plans, diets, attitude changes, a commitment to reading more, career moves - whatever. New Years resolutions just really annoy me.

Who decided that January 1 would be the beginning of a New Year? I don’t even know. We all sit/stand/lie completely still on December 31st (NYE) patiently waiting for the clock second hand on our clocks/watches to hit 00:00 and suddenly we’re someone TOTALLY different. We pretend that the momentary euphoria that we feel at midnight will somehow transform us into a new being. On deeper consideration, I realised this was all a farse. One big farse.

How many “New Years” have you vowed to start exercising consistently, to start eating healthier, to have a better relationship with God and your family/loved ones? How many? I’ll wait. The truth is - nothing changes. It never does. You know why? It’s not about you. 

There’s the key - it just isn't about you at all. In fact, it’s about someone BIGGER. Someone that can actually change all the things (and more!) you want to. Someone who can help you create long-lasting better habits, help you adopt a better outlook on life and a better attitude. God can do all that and more - and the best thing is that you don’t have to wait until the “New Year” for any change, the power does not lie there. The power to change lies in Christ.

I’ve experienced more change in the past year than on any January 1 in my lifetime. Why? Because one year I realised the key - I cannot change myself, only the person who created me. Any creator will know his/her creation inside-out - how they work and every little detail, and so it only makes sense that if we find ourselves to be defective in any way, we go to our Creator, our Maker - God. We approach Him with any hopes or desires for change in our lives and He will work on us. This is a truth we can’t escape - we are still to be totally and utterly reliant on God for change, for anything - new year or not.

So yeah - New Year? So what? It’s the same old me. Still relying and leaning on God. Still asking Him for guidance and next steps. Still asking Him to change parts of me He does not like. Trying my best to consult Him on every level, in every big and small decision. Trying to put Him first in absolutely EVERYTHING. You should too - maybe then you’ll be able to have real, lasting change, no matter the time of year. Believe me - I wholeheartedly believe that my ability to slowly by surely be consistent with my exercising is down to God. He cares about every little thing. 

The jury is out - New Year - Same Me.