Happy New Year, everyone! I am quite surprised and puzzled at how quickly yet slowly 2013 seemed to have gone by...
I have always been a little afraid of making New Year's resolutions, so I have never really gotten into it. But there are so many things that I want to do better this year than last, that I might just try it this year. Actually part of my resolution is to make a resolution... that doesn't really make much sense, so I will try to explain.
Behind my fear of resolutions is the fear of failure. I don't want to try something or promise to do something that is hard and that I will likely fail at doing, so I just don't try at all. This is a very oppressive and "un-freed" way of thinking. One of my favorite songs is called Free To Fail by VOTA:
"Love came in like a whisper screaming
Your guilt and your shame were meant for me
You are the one who's breaking my heart all over again
Nothing I do or say can change your mind
You are the one who's given me more than I could repay
You lived your life so I could live mine
We are free to fail"
The beauty of our freedom in Christ is the freedom to fail. We shouldn't try to fail, but we should try no matter if we fail (because, in fact we all will fail). I'm sure you've heard the saying that anything worth doing at all is worth doing well. Well, I would agree with that, but I would also say that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly as well. If something is worth doing or should be done, it should be done no matter if we can do it well or not. Anything that God sets before us to do or be, we should do or be it whether we do it well or poorly. He knows our abilities and sets our tasks before us. We have freedom in Christ's grace and mercy to strive for holiness by His Spirit. So that is why I'm making the resolution to: not fear failure and strive to do my best in all that He is calling me to do each day and each moment by His grace, His power, and His Spirit.
May God bless your new year with His grace and a new assurance of your freedom in Him. He has lived a perfect life, died a sinner's death, and He lives again today, so that we can live an abundant life with Him.
