I knew it was coming. January 1st. Run to the refrigerator! Quick! Before it gets here!

Am I the only one guilty of this? Trying to squeeze in all the “bad” foods I can before beginning that new diet. You know, because when I get on the scale on January 1st, I want to have a number on there that drives me to do something different. The New Year is the time for major organization overhauls, exercise plans, and new diets – at least for 45% of Americans. The number one resolution for 2015 (and likely many years before and probably after) was to lose weight with the second being to get organized.

What is it about January 1st that makes us want to start over?

Maybe we want to read our Bible in one year, so we set out on January 2nd, because we were up too late on December 31st, to read our Bible. At that point we are already “behind”. We gear up for our new intense eating plan by grocery shopping for all the right foods before New Year’s Day, planning our yearly black eyed pea pot of deliciousness, but saving the cornbread for the kids because “no, no, no – carbs are bad.”

We raid Ikea and the Container store stuffing our buggies full of baskets in hopes that this one week we will finally be organized – because the number of people who sustain their resolutions drops off considerably each week following the New Year.

But are all of the resolutions really just about us? Are we looking to these resolutions to be our savior? Do we believe, deep down, that somehow if we achieve all these things that our personal world will be turned right side up?

Yet, when Christ died on the cross, He turned our world right side up. When we have accepted Him and His sacrifice, we will know true peace that we often look for in reaching some self-appointed destination. Granted, the fallen world we live in will require our diligence for taking care of our bodies and homes, but those things will never be the end all be all, because our lives are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). January 1st cannot be about us.

January 1st has to be about Him.

A New View of a New Year

There is something definite and serene about a new year. The calendar changes and newness is in the air. Ultimately there is nothing wrong with goals and plans. A new year is a great time to implement those. However, we must remember that there is no magic on January 1st. Neither will we attain all the grand things we plan on that one day (or even that one year) if our eyes are out of focus.

Just like our relationship with Christ, it is a practice day in and day out. So why do we stuff our faces during the holidays, drop off our routines, and let our house go to pits?

It’s a way to feel better about myself through my achievements. It’s a way to indulge myself– my flesh–when I come up with new year’s plans for greatness through my achievements. I forget about my body being a temple and my home being a place to serve my family and others. Then, when I step on the scale on January 1st and that number is bigger than it was on December 1st, I can cheer myself on as that initial weight drops off.

I somehow believe that when the house is picked up and clean after we start our new chore charts, that it’s because I did something awe-inspiring. Yet, in that, I’m missing the big picture. I believe that it is about me, and I forget that it’s supposed to be about Him.

As we begin another New Year, I propose that we remember to run not to the refrigerator or the newest organization gadget, but instead to Him. With the new planner in hand and our pen ready for grandiose schedules and resolutions, may we recognize the One who created time and place. In the hustle and bustle of shopping and dinner plans, may we look away from the mirror and look up instead to the One who created us, for His glory and our good.

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Christine is a lover of life, crazy pants, and big earrings. Jesus girl. Wife. Mom to 8. Homeschooler. She has never met a stranger. She loves to sing, dance, paint, draw, color, and ponder big things and future projects. Read Christine’s other posts here.

 

 

 

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