The calendar is about to flip to 2012 and this year has flown by. The fresh set of dates, the change of month and the “ending” of a year seems to prompt us to make resolutions for the future. It could be to be more generous, lose some weight, read more books, save money, eat better, or any number of things.

We put a goal on paper or tell the people around us so that they can remind us of the resolution when we give up that pursuit in 5-6 weeks. For some people, keeping a resolution for 2 months is a huge accomplishment since they can’t be dedicated the other 10 months of the year! I don’t have a desire to make a resolution for 2012 because I seriously don’t see a value in doing this. Am I lazy as we head into 2012? Not really; I’m just trying to be realistic.

In this realistic mindset, God is reminding me of what really brings change. No resolution will bring the change that some of us are honestly looking for. In Galatians 5:22-25, Paul lays out that real transformation comes from the Spirit of God. This same Spirit that was given to us after Christ’s resurrection. The same Spirit that shaped the formation of the church. The same Spirit that was embodied in the writers of scripture.

Instead of making a list of resolutions that will get tossed the first time I find an All You Can Eat Wing Restaurant, I’m going to work on my relationship with the one that brings real change. It’s not a resolution, it’s a shift in how I live my life. I want to know that I’m changed because of a God that is constantly faithful. Shallow promises about how I’m going to be better on my own have no chance of lasting. The truth is that I’m done with resolutions, I’m ready for transformation.

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