Christians & New Year's Resolutions

This is that time of year when we swing from getting all caught up in the materialism and consumerism that so often go along with the Christmas season, to trying to undo our excesses by making New Year's Resolutions. It happens every year.

The presents are all opened and some gifts have been returned. Many of us have credit card debt that will take a long time to pay off. Many of us are struggling with "the Christmas letdown" and the "holiday blues."

Many of us overate over the holidays; now many of us are launching new diets and exercise programs to "work off the holiday pounds."

Many of us maxed out our credit cards when we went Christmas shopping and gave more to charities than we normally do during the year; now many of us are setting up budgets and repayment plans to make up for it.

Many of us are aware that we have bad habits that need to go, so we launch programs to conquer these offensive behaviors.

I don't know what to think of New Year's Resolutions. I have stopped making them long ago and I have no plans to start this tradition. A much overlooked but simple fact is that nowhere do I see anywhere in the Scriptures that we need to depend of "turning over a new leaf" and making New Year's Resolutions to change behaviors that we want to change. Yes, I have my temptations, too, including general social anxiety. I know that each of you who may read this have yours also. But there is one thing you can do, a simple thing, that will make 2015 far better for one child than 2014. You can sponsor that child and change that child's life forever. You can visit here.

This bottom photo is provided courtesy of Compassion International.