Hello everyone. It's that time of year again. It's New Year's Eve. Many of us will spend tonight going to parties or celebrating the passing of the old year and the ringing in of a new one. I firmly believe that 2012 will be my best year yet. It won't be the best year that I am ever going to have but it will be the best year yet. (Thanks Dan Stratton for that saying) Why do I think this? Because I have faith that my God is able to do what he said. It's the great thing about serving a God who is alive. He can still perform signs and wonders like no other God can.
But that's a post for a different day. My assignment today is to talk about New Year's resolutions. Many of us (including me) have made them in the past and with the best intentions we start into January with a changed life. For many years my New Year's resolution was always to quit eating badly, exercise and lose weight. I exercise at a gym in Fort Worth that I dearly love. It's where I lost all my weight and I still enjoy working out there. I would almost bet you that there will be several new people in the gym the next time I go who will not be there by the middle of February. I know that I was one of those people for many, many years. I had the best intentions but no real commitment. I could only resist giving my body what it wanted in the way of food for so long and then I would give in. I might lose 10 pounds only to gain it all back plus five more at the end of my "diet." Let me say this about diets. If you go on a diet, you will lose weight but when you get off the diet, you will probably go right back to where you were before. Don't go on a diet. Change your life.
So am I saying don't bother making a New Year's resolution at all? Don't attempt to improve your life or change things about yourself that you don't like. Of course not! If you have read many of my blogs you know that's not the case. Well then, you ask, what are you telling me Mr. Minion? What I'm telling you is that New Year's resolutions shouldn't be taken so lightly. If you are going to change something about yourself, there is a high probability that it will take a lot of work and perseverance. The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Does this mean that I don't think you can do it? Of course not! I know you can change anything you want to change. I did. I once was extremely overweight and now I am not. What I want you to do before you make a New Year's resolution is count the cost. Prepare yourself for the battle. If you just make a half hearted resolution, you are setting yourself up for failure and that hurts. I want to see you succeed in anything you set your mind to do (as long as it's a good thing). When I finally made a change in my eating, it was after several months of preparation to do so. I took me a long time to finally get honest with myself and admit that I had an eating problem. After that, I had to go before God and ask his help in getting free from carbohydrate addiction. There may be another way to do this without God but I don't know what it is. I tried on my own for many years to lose weight with no success. After this process, I was able to make a commitment to lose the weight and God gave me the ability to persevere through trials until I lost weight.
Let me summarize by saying this. Please take your New Year's resolutions seriously. It's OK to make them. Just count the cost and be prepared so that you can be successful. If you are a Christian, take your resolutions before God and ask for his help. Then know that you will have to stand through some adversity if you are going to see your resolution fulfilled. Remember this - there is never a testimony without a test. I know you can do it.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year - The Minion
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