I Don’t Do Resolutions
I don’t do resolutions. I have elected instead to be resolute. Merriam-Webster defines resolute as marked by firm determination, bold, steady. So, what might you ask that I desire to be resolute about? Trusting God. Seems so simple and yet I can make it difficult. Or perhaps I can enact my trust in a disassembled fashion. Trusting God in one area while relinquishing my trust in other areas to whatever feels as though it presents as having more power or control than God. Yes, as far back as I can remember, I’ve been riding for Jesus and yet I still must contort my belief to what I profess. Constantly wrestling to allow my inner wo(man) to overcome the external. So, I’ve decided that resolute shall be my portion and as such, I’ll need to engage a practice that sustains me when everything presents to question my ability to stand resolute in the chaos, confusion and collateral. With God’s help, anything is possible.
On the first day of 2025, I went to the YMCA. The parking lot was filled. I had to park in a completely different area than normal because there was nothing available in my usual area. Immediately I knew the Y was filled because of all the folx who were walking out their new year resolutions. Many people are off work on the New Year’s Day, thereby making a trip to the Y easy. Yet when the confetti subside, will those same people get up and drive to the Y in inclement weather, or after a terrible night’s sleep or when the body is just saying, “let’s take an l?” That is the invitation and necessity of resolute to kick in and supersede the idea of a resolution. I’m not judging. In fact, I’m calling myself to the carpet of this conversation, and not just for exercise. How might we envision the end and work within our power, through trusting God for the manifestation?
I’ve always heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Yet, that mantra lacks sufficient evidence. The habit forms as we engage it. The habit operationalizes when we fail and get back up. The habit solidifies by constantly visualizing our “why.” I want to trust God when things don’t look like what I hoped. I want to trust God when things are going so well that I don’t wait for the pending disaster. I want to trust God when others are telling me to walk away. That is when the habit becomes habit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 affirms, “Those who have placed their confidence in God will find themselves spiritually thriving.” Sounds like resolute. No resolutions needed.