Here we go again

2017 ended the same way it began – stress at work, the family sickness relay, and several envisioned holiday projects left unstarted, let alone unfinished. My head buried in a pillow, clutching my Dayquil, I exclaimed to my wife, “This year just needs to end.” Later on that day, I read a running magazine (which in and of itself is a miracle because I neither read nor run). The article was about New Year’s Resolutions and why so many of us fail at them. The author suggested that we often fail because our resolutions are based off a deficit of what was bad or unsatisfactory in the previous year, as opposed to appreciating where we have been, where we are, and building upon that. It made me think twice about this year “that just needs to end.” Amidst all that I want to change about myself, all the things that I have left undone, have I taken time before jumping into 2018 to give thanks for the blessing to be a part of “God’s people"? Am I grasping for resolutions that call out my weaknesses or am I focusing on that which will help me to fulfill my call? What is the greatest gift from God you are bringing with you into the New Year? Happy Solemnity!