New Year, New Question, New Quest

 As far as I can tell, most of my friends don’t make New Years resolutions. I used to, back in middle school and maybe even in high school. But resolutions have a bad reputation for rarely getting accomplished or continued past February. C’mon, you know the typical list:

1)   Exercise more & lose weight

2)   Travel more

3)   Get a boyfriend/girlfriend

…Or things like that. Mine stayed the same for years: Stop biting my nails, Lose weight, Spend consistent time with God. Those rarely continued for long either, but my own high failure rate wasn’t the main reason I stopped setting them. Rather, I stopped because

A)   My “year” was tracked more on the school year than the calendar year,

B)   Resolutions already had a bad reputation, so I felt shallow for making them.

But this year is different. While staying in Idaho early this New Year, the people I stayed with began a 21-day fast of specific foods on January 1st, as a way to sincerely listen to God as another year began. This inspired me to look at this whole resolutions thing a bit differently: Instead of making resolutions to attain, how about spending the beginning the New Year seeking the Lord about what He wants to do this year? (Maybe this isn't a new idea to some, but it really affected me.)  I mean, He’s the Only One with the Master Plan and the power to accomplish what’s most important anyway!

Selah. Ponder that last statement for a moment.

God and everyone else in touch with my life know I need (His) guidance more than ever to answer the Big Question of 2011: What comes next after graduation?

So I’m solemnly dedicating this year to my God-who’s-in-control-of-everything-anyway. Because I recognize that this year, as with every year past and future, I’m desperate for Him and lost without Him. And while I can and often do pray about my future at all times of the year, I see this month as a special time of seeking God, listening to Him, waiting for Him. Yeah.

Now, especially to you readers who are thinking “God’s help? Whatever. Self-help is all I need,” read closely: While determination and support may attain you some goals, I honestly believe the only lasting (and worthwhile) change is brought about by God through His divine Spirit. Consider the following verse:

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)

To be honest, I think the bad reputation of New Years resolutions is evidence that humans on their own are pretty terrible with following through. However, this verse shows how God isn’t stuck in the predictable human errors: He is wise to make the right decisions and promises, and powerful enough to always fulfill them. Just consider that.

So basically, this month and beyond, my question is, What are God’s “resolutions” this year? Once I discover what He’s doing, my quest is just to jump on board!

I may have all sorts of ideas about what’s best for me and my life, but God already has great plans for me (see Jeremiah 29:11-13) and for the world I live in. With the guarantee that He’ll never fail to accomplish them, I think that’s just plain exciting!

Thus I start my quest, and I remain,

Ellen P.

P.S. Another exciting promise that’s related to spiritual seeking: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Jesus’ words. (Matthew 7:7-8)

P.P.S. … Okay, and I’m still hoping to kick the nail-biting habit. Somebody ask me next year if I have!