We all make promises to ourselves at the beginning of a new year to do something differently than what we did the previous year. I recall one point in time where there were plenty of images, jokes, posts, etc. on social media having to do with the whole “New Year, New Me” fad. The majority of the individuals who make these promises only hold them up until somewhere around the middle of February. There seems to be an issue maintaining the ideals set by oneself at the beginning of a year and holding it through the entire year. Think about it. When 2016 began, who thought all of the ridiculous, horrible, amazing, and appalling things that happened would have all occurred in one year? Probably no one! How many people are the same now as they were at the beginning of the year? Again, probably no one. Most of the promises that individuals make are about making themselves better, whether it’s to start going to the gym or just improving attitudes and they usually are not sustained. Does this sound like anything else?

If you said Christianity, you would be right. There have been millions of individuals who will walk into a church, like what they hear, maintain a Christian lifestyle, and then their old habits kick in and then they no longer have that close relationship to God and stop coming to church entirely. This can happen in weeks, months, and even years. This is important to understand because most individuals do not realize Christianity is a commitment more so than deciding that one wants to begin a regiment at a local gym. Everyday Christians have to make choices that will either bring them closer to God or tear them away from Him. This actually is the same for those who are trying to better themselves physically. “To eat this donut, or not to eat this donut. That is the question”.

The difference is that the inner conflict that usually involves Christians is whether they chose to sin. Everyone has sin in this world and nobody is perfect but what is supposed to make Christians stand out is that they should be trying whole-heartedly not to sin. What also should make Christians different is that we should feel like a piece of us is missing when we sin and our conscience makes us repent and ask for forgiveness. Nevertheless, not all resolutions fade away over time. There are plenty of people who started doing things because of the new year and they have been keeping up with that choice for years.

A friend of mine in Aiken, South Carolina decided, as a New Year’s Resolution, that he did not want to be the ‘fat kid’ at our high school anymore. I never noticed that he was considered such but he frequently made me aware of what other kids were saying. In our freshman year of high school, he made the resolution to go to the gym and to be better for himself. By the time our Senior Prom rolled around, he had lost the ‘fat kid’ identity and was a well-known athlete on the football team. However, in that time, he had forgotten about me and reveled in his popularity. I still support him to this day but from the shadows. What I am getting at with all of this is, if you are going to participate in a New Year’s Resolution, remember those who were with you beforehand, make sure you are doing it because you want to, and remember that love can only be created, never destroyed. Love each other, and I do not mean just romantically. Brotherly-love is what binds us all.

“Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast…”-1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)