Resolution Two - Equipped for Battle

Okay, so here it is, day two of the annual resolutions. How is everyone who dared to make one doing? Have they lost weight yet, not smoked yet, stopped all the drinking or eating of candy or whatever became the target? Usually by day two most people are managing their control issues very well, but as time marches on the true determination will come forth.

Maybe there should be another way of managing resolutions. Rather than make them once a year and try to keep that “pledge” all year long, perhaps making resolutions every day would be more manageable. For that matter, it might be better to make resolutions every hour or even for some, every minute or two.

For example, let's suppose a person's resolution is to “clean up their language” and instead of being a “potty mouth” they desire to make a clean break. If the resolution is for the year, there might be an inclination to excuse, blame or patronize a few “slips” of the tongue. Since the time slot is for the whole year, there is plenty of time to keep from talking with swear words, right? So why worry about one little slip? Failure at keeping the resolution is diluted because there is so much time for future correction. But if the resolution is for the day or an hour, then the “slip up” might be recognized more fully for what it is.

More examples might include, eating that extra portion, skipping those exercises, avoiding that drink, cleaning that room, paying those bills, etc., etc., etc.. There are a million reasons why someone has not kept what they vow when the time element has more length. Failure will sometimes motivate a person to find strength that is beyond their own, and that will help them keep the resolutions they make. Face it, the discipline that it takes to keep a resolution has already been absent from the person's life or else they would not be having to make the resolution in the first place.

Perhaps on resolution day two, the admission should come that this year's resolution should be broken down into an hour by hour vow and for some a minute by minute vow, and should there be a failure, it will be recognized, dealt with and a resolve made to call upon someone greater to give assistance to keeping what usually is broken by day six, seven or eight.

Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, find locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore