that new year resolutions thing

every year, millions of people make new years resolutions, in the hopes of their life being better the coming year than it was the last. goals and ideas and hopes are all good and dandy, but something that was said at encounter makes me wonder how effective this practice of making resolutions is. one of the speakers, Crawford Loritts, said that ideas (like resolutions) don't change people's lives. and it's true. you can say all these things you want to change, but if the idea is all you have, you're not going to get very far. and I'm realizing that a lot of what I do is have ideas and make note of things I don't like or want to change, but don't end up doing anything about it. it's definitely a good thing to look at a situation or your life and see what you don't like and needs to be changed, but that's just the first step and so many of us just stop there. so do make resolutions, goals, think about how you want to live your life better, then actually put a plan in place and carry it out. another thing too... we shouldn't just make resolutions/goals at the beginning of the year. we should be doing it more often than that, because it doesn't take long to slip up or for life to change. Ive been making goals for each semester the past year or so, but I'm gonna try and reevaluate every month, because even in a semester lots can change.
one of the things we talked about at campus time was what we wanted to see changed or improved this coming semester. lots of things were mentioned that we should do, like pray more or whatever, but in the end it came down to a heart issue and our dedication to doing see things with the right motivations/focus. and it's not just a few people's faults, but all of ours. that we need to work on living through the Spirit and missionally more, not just talk about what needs to get done but actually do it with a heart after God. so I've got my list of things I'd like to work on and change, now it's time to take action and entrust God with my everything. analyze your life/walk with God and see what you'd like to change and how you'd like to grow, then make it happen. change the way you think, allow the Holy Spirit to fill and overflow in you, and of course pray about it!