But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel 1:8
I have mixed feelings about resolutions. From “resolutions are made to be broken” to compulsively feeling like I can’t end a day until a certain thing is done. I used to choose a few simple things that could be accomplished in the first week of the year. Get my ears pierced. Clean the closet. Send someone a thank you note. Then, when I was asked about my resolutions, I said, “Done!” Last year, I made some simple ones that required more commitment. To get healthier and to read through my Bible. I accomplished both. Neither was easy. Getting healthier required watching what I ate and exercising regularly. Late getting started, I did not begin running until August, I still finished strong at the Jingle Bell Run. Careful eating is irregular though portion control seems to work as long as it does not involve sweets. Reading the Bible through required starting on January 1 or I would have been too far behind. As long as I set aside a certain time each day to do it and kept a journal of what I read so I felt committed to finishing, I got it done. Simple? Only if I follow through! I like the advice I read yesterday in Mark Batterson’s book, All In. “You don’t have to make one hundred changes. All that does is divide your energy by one hundred and results in a 1 percent chance of success. You have to be 100 percent committed to one change. It will take an all-out effort. And it will probably be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. But that one change has the potential to make a 100 percent difference in your life.” So again this year, I have two simple goals: Get Healthier and Waste Less. I found that in addition to keeping my resolutions small, if I stay motivated by journaling, check lists or accountability partners, I remain on task. If I say, “I am going to lose 50 pounds, run a marathon and pay off my debt”, I am unlikely to do those things and will give them up early on in the year because one, they are too big and two, I don’t have a time line for accomplishing them. But, if I break down the goal into steps, it seems easier. More of a 5K than a marathon. So, get healthier is divided into run the Gasperilla Classic in February and do the 40 day Daniel Fast sometime this year. Waste Less becomes cook only what we can eat in one sitting, moderate spending so I only buy what we need and recycle. I am signed up for the race, bought the Daniel Fast book and will go to the grocery store today with a list to buy smaller portions. My credit card is out of my wallet in a safe place to help me avoid those impulse buys. The recycle bins are ready. We’ll see how it goes. How about you? Any resolutions?
I don't know that you'd call them resolutions – goals might be a better word. A lot of them revolve around taking care of my house. Some revolve around taking care of me. I'm also planning to do the 52 Weeks savings plan ($1 for the first week, $2 for the second and so on). I used quite a bit of my "rainy day" fund this year and I need to replenish it before another rainy day shows up…