A resolution that will not fail...

I often wonder why people make New Year’s resolutions. I think they do so only so they can break them. What many people don’t realize is that change comes from the inside out, not the outside in. You must change yourself on the inside before you can change things on the exterior. This may sound deep, but I think it comes to a matter of being spiritually at peace.

Someone recently told me the following quote: "Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or difficult work. It means to be in the midst of all these things yet be calm in your heart." Whoever said the quote is unknown to me, but I found the words to be awe-inspiring. How incredible would it be in the midst of a storm yet to be impenetrable at the same time? We all know of a few individuals that come to mind when I ask such a question. I think the solidity of peace in a storm comes in knowing where you seek to find such solidity. Typically, for the people I consider strong in this regard, they have amazing relationships with God. Do not easily assume that these individuals do not experience dissonance at some point. We all do because we are all human, but these exemplified followers of God choose God first. It sounds quite simple but at the same time can be quite complex. I do not typically think of God as the solution to all my problems all the time, and if you pray to God, I do not think he will resolve everything immediately. But I do think you will experience a peace in the form of a gentle whisper. “Be still and know that I am God.” We, as Christians, are not meant to play God, and when we do, what usually happens? We screw up, and things go awry.

For much of my twenty-six years on this planet, I have been chasing things of temporary satisfaction. Temporal feelings are often revolved around the chase of my latest crush. If you read the previous entry, you will notice the frustration that exists in my recent attempts to woo. My advice, although I often do not live it out myself, is to let God do the wooing. As a follower, just do the seeking of Him, and things will typically work out the way they are supposed to. If God does not exist in the relationship you hope to have with a significant other, then you are in for a long ride. I just got out of a relationship that was spiraling out of control in all aspects. I was attempting to find God, but I am not sure the efforts were in the form of a duo. In other words, both individuals must be chasing after God with all their might to find balance, peace, and solidity in the hard times, in the storms, and in the midst of adversity. In my case, the distance was “too much,” and in my limited perspective, attention was not given entirely to Things of Above. So, naturally, the relationship was doomed in the beginning with a rough starting line. And when the distance became “too much,” what was I left with? Both my hands up in the air and shrugged shoulders, wondering what happened, is what I was left with, but the reminder that He is Lord and that He is the Way to success was much needed. And in that aspect, perhaps a failed relationship was worth the reminder that this is what it is all about.

And so I have come to a resolution that is simple. I want to come to God when frustrated feelings come my way. I want to be solidified in the storm because I know the Spirit has given me Peace with what I am about to face. I want to look up more than I look down, and now that my head is above the water without clouded judgment of physicality, hurt feelings, and unfounded arguments, perhaps on bended knee, I will pray. My perspective is resolved because I am reminded that one source, that one power, that one person can remain calm in the eye of a storm. That is in the second where I breathe, sit still, and realize God has control over my life and the insignificant details that I waste time worrying about. My resolution is to come to God more often than times that I don’t. I will come to God instead of solving matters with my own efforts. I will seek peace in His Spirit so that like the individuals mentioned before, I will stand the test when the next storm comes. I will not fall into the traps of unproductive, unfruitful relationships. I will become more because with God I am more. So here it is…follow God, and everything else will fall by the waist side. That is my resolution: change on the inside and then as a result change will come on the outside as well.