Happy New Year!

(I posted this on Facebook on January 1, 2017, but deleted it a short time later. I know a few people who are starting diets and was concerned that someone reading it might be offended. I was just musing and didn't have any specific resolutions in mind when I wrote this, but for now, I'm just leaving it on my blog page, but not sharing it on Facebook.)

Well, here we are…at the beginning of another new year. Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? I’ve been thinking about the areas of our lives that we usually want to revamp and the similarities between our physical health and our spiritual well-being.

Eating healthy is usually at the crux of most dietary resolutions. I can’t think of anyone who would argue with the fact that eating right will make you healthier, more energetic, and if you’re lucky, thinner. But it seems like our commitment to most diets starts to fizzle out after a few weeks, or even days. Why is it that most of us wait until we have major health issues to make permanent changes in the way we eat?

In the same way, why do we wait until we have a major life crisis to turn to God for help? We know that partaking of God’s Word will enlighten and encourage us, but we seldom spend more than a few minutes reading it. Jesus said “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35) If you feel like you are in a constant state of spiritual malnourishment, the answer is simple: Come to Jesus. He is always there waiting to commune with you. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Personally, I need to eat healthier and I need more of Jesus. But instead of committing to a diet plan, I want to be intentional about eating healthy and exercising because I love my family and want to be around to watch my grandchildren grow up. And instead of promising to read my Bible and pray for a certain amount of time each day, I want to diligently seek God with my whole heart, whatever that entails. I want to look for Him in the faces of those I meet and in the beauty that surrounds me; I want to take time to be still and know Him (Psalm 46:10). And that’s my take on New Year’s Resolutions.

I pray that God will bless you and your family in the coming year!