New Year's Resolutions

Good Sunday Morning,

Since the next time that we will get to talk will be a new year (which makes me stop and wonder . . . what was wrong with the old year? . . . oh yea, never mind that thought), I thought we better get going and decide upon our New Year’s Resolutions. So, to help you out, I am going to share my Top Ten List with you. Feel free to adopt any of these as your own.

1. The No. 1 resolution of 2021 (and every year, it seems) is to eat healthier and exercise more, so what the heck, I made that my No. 1 too.

2. Volunteer my services somewhere.

3. Learn something new. Since I will likely not learn a new language, I am thinking about learning a new instrument, look out harmonic, here I come.

4. Read more; perhaps I’ll read the entire Bible. I know that there are numerous apps to help you pace yourself, or to read it in a certain order, etc.

5. Get my COVID vaccine the first chance I get (it will help everyone).

6. Spend more time with family, friends and in the moment.

7. Eat more chocolate.

8. Eat less bacon (sorry, just kidding).

9. Do to others what I would have them do to me. Matthew 7:12

10. Attend all Zoom meetings fully dressed.

Now, I do not think that the Bible specifically mentions making resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I do recall that it encourages us to examine our lives regularly, and to seek God’s help to become better persons every day. Which sounds a lot like resolutions to me.

OK, so maybe I can accomplish at least a couple of my resolutions, but for most of us, however, most of our resolutions fail? Why, often it is because they are not realistic, but usually the real problem is within us - within our own hearts and minds. We would all like to be better people, but no matter how hard we try, if we are relying on just ourselves, the odds are stacked against us.

So, what is the solution you ask?

The solution is to turn to God and seek his help to live the way we should. So rather than trying to check off my list of ten, I am going to ask God to “create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me; cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” . . . some of you will remember that from the LBW, but it is actually is from Psalm 51:10-11.

So, my pro-tip for you today is this . . . if you just remember to regularly invite God into your life and ask him to help you become the person he wants you to be . . . then I’m feeling pretty sure that all will be well, for remember, with the Lord as your shepherd; you shall not want. Psalm 23:1

So, pour yourself a cup of coffee then sit back, relax, . . . this year choose a resolution that you have a fighting chance of achieving . . . and then take solace in knowing that the Lord has made this day; may you rejoice and be glad in it.

Jeff Bergstrom

P.S. Don’t forget your support for CLC, the community and the world.

P.P.S. Dear God, my prayer for 2021 is a fat bank account and a thin body . . . please don't mix these up like you did this past year.