9 Day Old New Years Resolutions -- Be Nice to Yourself

Well here we are 9 days post New Years.  How many New Years Resolutions did you make and break already?  In my life, once the New Year begins the pace picks up significantly and I no longer  want to be bothered by resolutions  By about the 2nd week all resolutions are gone.

But as I age I've learned to be a bit more compassionate with myself.  I tolerate failures and look at it as an opportunity to commit again, to restart afresh.  I also never make a serious New Years Resolution until I write a list of all my successes, no matter how small, from the previous year.  Then feeling good about my successes, I look at what God might be calling me to do better so that I can be more whole. I have come to recognize that change happens slowly.  It takes time,  commitment, and a significant amount of grace.  If God wanted to tell me anything about my New Years Resolution it would be to be patient with myself and recognize how pleased God is at my effort.

And so, if you're at that point where you're ready to give up on yourself, take a deep breath and recognize that you are loved just the way you are right now.  And if you choose to have a New Year's Resolution, it's okay if you have to start, fail, restart, and stumble over and over again.  It is the effort and being faithful to the restarts and the grace God gives us, that makes it all turn out good in the end.  Little successes over the weeks of the year are where the real triumphs of life are found.  You can do it! We're right by your side rooting you along.