Switching from Self-Help to Asking for God Help

What would our 2016 look like if we lived by those words?

I read a blog post last week that pointed out that we go from celebrating the miracle birth of Jesus and all of the hope and joy that He represents for mankind, to the celebration of a new year, where many of us proceed to make a list things we will do in the coming year, to better our lives.

I have thought about that concept for days. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with New Year’s resolutions or the desire to better ourselves, but have you ever noticed that most of our lofty ideas fall flat by February? Have you ever wondered why?

Sure, it could just be that people aren’t very good at making changes or that chocolate and french fries taste so much better than kale, that make us break our resolutions to eat better. It could be that we really are too busy to squeeze in thirty minutes of exercise required to lose weight. Maybe that television show was truly much more important than the Bible reading time we promised ourselves.

But, maybe our problem with keeping resolutions lies with the fact that we are likely to fail at any self-help venture.

The week before New Year’s Eve, on Christmas Eve, most Christians will eagerly admit that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

But, a week later, we make long lists of things we are going to do to change ourselves and our lives for the better. How many of us include prayer when we make those lists? How many of us seek the will of God as we make them? How many of us seek His guidance and blessings on our self-help plans for the upcoming year?

As I write this, we are not quite an entire week into the new year. Maybe it’s a good time to make a new list. I’m asking myself what would I like for my life to look like in 2016. But, before I put pen to paper, I’m going to start with a prayer.

I’m going to put at the top of the page: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3  Then I’m going to write a simple list of things I would like to do this year to change me and my world for the better. I’m going to end it with Philippians 4:13 and I’ll keep it close by where I can see it a remember it and pray about it.

I think I may be onto something, beginning and ending the list with some powerful Bible verses. Maybe you would like to give it a try too. I can’t wait to hear how you do.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂