My Thoughts On: New Year's Resolutions

January 1

For so many people, January 1 marks, not only the start of a new year, but a fresh start in life. It's the long looked for chance to scrunch up and throw away that long-forgotten sheet of paper that last years resolutions were carefully penned on and start again on a fresh page. 

I'm not really sure why people choose January 1. I guess it's just a fixed date that marks the beginning of a new time period/chapter in the their life. But as good as having that date is and as good as people making resolutions sounds, the statistics are pretty sad.

In America, 45% of people usually make resolutions and 17% sometimes make resolutions.

Of those who do, 75% make it through the first week, but only 8% make it through to the end of the year.

That's scary!

VERY SCARY!

In 2008, when I was 14, I made two new-year's resolutions (that I remember). One was to diary every day and the other was to stop biting my fingernails.

Well, sorry to say, by January 4th, I had bitten my nails, and by September 5th, my diarying, which had been anything but daily past January 15th, stopped completely.

Ouch!

I didn't even make it into that 75%!

As Christians, we make mistakes - every day.

That's life.

But it's what God does with our sins when we confess them and ask for forgiveness that is amazing. Not only does He forgive us but He cleanses or purifies us from ALL unrighteousness. Not only does He cleanse and purify us, but He takes our sins and casts them into the depths of the ocean. In another place it says that He removes them as far as the east is from the west - that's a long way. They're gone. Gone for good.

"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."

(Ps 103:10)

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us."

(Ps 103:12)

"He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

(Micah 7:19)

Praise the LORD!

So next time you make a mistake, take the advise of the Wise Man:

 And next year, when you become part of the 92% of the population by breaking your resolution, don't worry, take a deep breath, say a prayer and start again. You don't have to wait for 2015 to start on a new page. God gives a new day every day!