against New Years resolutions

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 we talked about this today at work church
I have to admit that I have no fondness for New Year's resolutions. It has been my experience that they have two possibilities. Either I will fail to keep my resolution (perhaps not immediately, but after a time) and will therefore feel shame, or, I will discipline myself to achieve the resolution and feel a sense of pride in the accomplishment. Neither shame nor pride is a healthy state for the soul.

But I have found it only takes a slightly altered attitude towards resolution-making to avoid these ends. Instead of New Year's resolutions I have experimented with crafting a list of prayers for the New Year. Thus, if I do not act in conformity to the prayers I pray--for example, if I pray to stop sinning in a particular way but take no steps to avoid the temptation--the proper response is repentance. If God answers my prayers, the proper response is thanksgiving. Both repentance and thanksgiving are healthy states for the soul...


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