What Is Your New Year's Resolution?

​Well, it’s a new year, which always begs “What is your New Year’s resolution?’ What do you want to fix, or what promise do you make to yourself about your health, wealth, or personal growth? I like the comic where one friend asks another, “Have you made a New Year’s resolution?” and the other answers, Yes….don’t make one!”

What if, instead, we focus on a word or an attitude that we want to embrace, incorporate, embody? Not something you can track with hash marks or schedule on a calendar, but it requires a daily commitment to try. Do you have a favorite word? Some of my favorites are grace, joy and contentment. Joy is certainly associated with Advent, in the songs we sing, on decorations, and our special pink joy advent candle that we light on our Comfort and Joy concert day. Some may think that it has lost its meaning due to overuse. What does it mean to you? Is it an emotion, or an action item?  Can you lose your joy, or is it a part of who you are? Can you bring Joy? Spread joy? Kill joy?

The word joy can in fact be a noun; contentment, a verb; spreading joy to all we meet, or an adjective; filled with joyfulness or joyousness! It is used in the bible 63 times; roughly two times more in the Old Testament than the new. Mother Teresa advises that if we do our work with joy, we can bring many souls to God. She describes joy as a prayer, as a sign of our generosity; that joy is evident in our eyes, our faces, our actions.  Pastor Jenny once said in a sermon, “One cannot have joy without God.”

At the root of joy is gratefulness. Joy doesn’t make us joyful, gratitude does. It comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and the hope he gives. May this be a resolution for us all.
 
I Thes 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Yours In Christ!

Christy Merritt
​Director of Children's Ministry