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Reflections

Welcome to the JCPC Daily Reflections Blog. Reflections are daily devotionals authored by JCPC pastors, staff and members and provide insight, guidance and comfort to help you make it through each day. If you’d like to receive Reflections each day via email,  provide your email address.

Monday, January 06 2020

Wow! We've entered a new year and a new decade. I'm wondering if you made any New Year's Resolutions for 2020. I have and I'll get to mine after a brief commentary.

 

When I think of the traditional New Year's resolution I tend to think of resolution as being a type of conviction expressed in a self-promise. You probably have practiced this conviction motif at various times in your life with resolutions like "I'm going to lose weight this year or I'm going to stay in the moment and not hurry through life." Being resolved to live a healthier and happier life is a great goal.

 

Of course experts advise that our resolutions should be achievable and realistic because if we set them too high we will come crashing to earth before we know it. Face it, our lives are cluttered with broken promises that we make to ourselves regardless of how resolved we start out.

 

I heard someone say that their New Year's resolution this year was to not be critical for three days. I thought that was great until I realized that I probably would fall short of that goal within the first hour. I wanted to be similarly resolved but knew that I would need to bake failure into the recipe. So how to do that; build failure into the resolution so that it would have a real chance of succeeding?

 

My answer was to look at resolution through the lens of vision. Every now and then I will walk over to the televisions at Target and marvel at their improved resolution. Today's televisions have such brilliant resolution that it almost feels as if you can walk into the scene. Resolution improves vision.

Now I can be resolved to be less critical in the New Year by resolving my vision. It goes like this; when I think a critical thought I will follow it with a kind thought. There's an old proverb that goes like this; what you focus on will grow. Now my resolution works in both ways. It will lessen my time being critical and when I am it will open the door to kindness. Happy New Year!


 

Prayer for Today

God of new beginnings we pray that you mold us with your redemptive hands so that when we are doing your will we will be glorifying you and when we fall short your glory will open the door of mercy with the invitation to try again. Amen.

Posted by: AT 08:00 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
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