Life is more than Resolution

Psalm 5
1Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
2Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
8O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.
11But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.


I've never really bought into the whole New Year's Resolutions thing. Usually my resolution is simply to have no "special" resolution. New Year's in general is one of the more uneventful holidays in my mind. However, if one can get past the sappy, fake optimism and overabundance of reliving the year's news that was either unable to be forgotten or no one cared about, one may indeed find some gems. As we start a new year it can be a good time to not look back and regret the mistakes of the past but to apply the knowledge gained to future goals of bettering oneself.

As a Christian, this looking to the future takes on deeper meaning as one of the main purposes of our lives is to become more and more Christ-like. Coming off of the craziest, best, worst, most growth-filled, and most pain-filled year of my life so far, this particular January 1st has allowed me to take a step back and catch my breath. There were so many missed opportunities and so many unexpected blessings. There is so much that I need to correct, so much to forget and leave behind, so much to look forward to.

I'm not one for resolutions, but this New Year's is special for me. The beginning of a new chapter is being written in my life and I need to make sure that it remains as epic as it is meant to be. I need to reignite my love for God and for man. I need to run, not walk, down the path laid out for me. I need to stop waiting for something to happen but go out and fight for it. I need to hold on to hope. I need to remember the comfort found in God's embrace when I screw up again.

I avoid New Year's resolutions, but this year I have one.
I don't want to exist. I want to LIVE.

Ever blessed,
-Nic