Challenged To The Core - Kathi Brixey

Well it’s here! That time of year that is so refreshing, so “not” looked forward to by so many people. The holidays are over and it’s time to take down the decorations, pack them away while trying to restore order to your home. It all seemed so fun decorating the house, baking all the goodies, all the parties, it went on forever. But now it’s time to step up and get it done. This is also the time of year when a lot of us think back over the year and re-evaluate the past as we consider what is to come in the future. We fall victim to society and make the all un-forgiving “New Year’s resolutions.” What are New Year’s Resolutions anyway? Are they for real? These are very thought provoking questions. I have tried and fail many times to make and keep resolutions over the years. The problem with resolutions is that we often set unattainable goals to achieve, things like losing weight, completing schooling, finishing that to-do list for around the home, reading all those books that you have acquired but never opened, even trying to exercise to be more healthy; All good causes, all attainable, if we have the passion to accomplish them. We set ourselves up for failure before we get started because we often make resolutions that we “think” others want us to do.

When I begin to take down the decorations and lovingly pack each piece away my mind is already thinking ahead of how I will rearrange the furniture, where each piece will go after I give the house a good cleaning, while I am planning for the next thing on our calendar. My thought process is different I’ll admit, but it comes from years and years of trying to stay one step ahead of my family as well as being ready for whatever came up in our ministry. I wasn’t born with these skills, I had to learn them. I couldn’t make a resolution to gain them the next year, I had to through trial and error learn what worked and what didn’t. It took time! You see that is what trips us up on our resolutions. We make them and want to stick to them, but we forget or don’t want to think about the reality that it takes work, integrity and passion.

So instead of making a “New Year’s Resolution” let’s try something that is more likely to be successful and far more rewarding. Try praying and asking God to show you the area’s in your life that may need refinement. Now make a list of the things the Lord put’s on your heart. Prayerfully consider each one and start working on them one by one, not all at once, but slowly passionately making the changes with God’s help. The scripture tells us in James 1:2-4 that we should consider it “joy” when we encounter trials and testing of our faith, because this makes us mature and complete in Christ. Isn’t that what we really want? To be successful in life and at the end of our life hear from our Lord “well done, good and faithful servant.”

If you must have a “New Year’s Resolution” let it be one of perseverance as well as integrity in pursuing God’s will for your life as He refines you. Nothing in life is ever easy, nor is it free except the gift of eternal life that we can accept or reject. My prayer for you in this new year is that if you haven’t already accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior that you will do so and then will prayerfully consider the areas in your life that need refinement. With God’s leading and help each one will come to fruition. I know that you can do this; I have every confidence in you. So pack up the old “resolutions,” lay them at the foot of the cross and start 2008 with a new sense of passion and integrity to accomplish all that God has equipped and gifted you to be! HAPPY NEW YEAR!