I will state the obvious…it’s 2011!

As you know, it’s time once again to consider resolutions, goals, dreams, wishes, etc. for the New Year…There are two camps that form at this time of the year…The Gung Ho Resolution Makers &  The Anti-Resolution Makers…

At the gym where I teach twice a week, I have already seen the Freshman Class of 2011 – they are the people that join the gym in January with the goal of losing a gazillion pounds by working out whenever the gym is open, wearing those annoying plastic suits and carrying jugs of water on their persons…But I ain’t mad at them…I started working out on a regular basis with the Freshman Class of 1994 and haven’t fallen back into my former coach potato habits so it can happen…

And then there are those who want to get their money right in the New Year…I’ve had a couple of people ask me about my financial coach’s contact info because I shouted her out so much last year…I understand that too…Money ain’t erething, but when you don’t have it, it really is…okay? (in my sistah girl voice)

But let me not leave out the people who hate on those who make resolutions…And to some degree, I even get that too (all this resolution talk can be annoying)…even though sometimes it seems as if these people are projecting their frustration about not attaining their New Year’s Resolutions onto others and assuming that others cannot achieve what they have not been able to achieve…

What I believe: I think that the start of a New Year is the perfect time to set goals and make resolutions. But I also think God must be included in this process because He will direct you in what ought to be your goals and resolutions…And we know that with his Help, we can do everything…(Philippians 4:13)

As I peruse my goals for 2010, I am thankful that God, first of all, helped me to come up with my list, and secondly, He helped me to achieve most of goals…Give.Him.Praise…

But I also see that much if not all of my goals revolved around things I want to achieve in the natural…which is fine, but should not be all for the Christian…We Christians also have to consider the spiritual…And so this year, God has impressed upon me already in a dramatic fashion that I need to continue to work out my salvation because I got a ways to go saints…(Philippians 2:12-13) …I mean being saved is the first thing, but there is more to do after the altar call…Here is a verse that sums it up (read the whole chapter for a better understanding if you need too…)

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” I Corinthians 6:11

This year, some more sanctification has got to take place in my life…Unfortunately, God knows that one of the best ways to get my attention is to allow some trial to come into my life…but it’s all good or at least it will be…because I do trust Him…although I don’t like what He allows sometimes…I liken it to the whippings I got from time to time when I was a child…My mother, who has quick temper, was quick to swat me on my backside. My father, on the other hand, has a long fuse and rarely hit me…But baby, when he got mad, I knew that I was in for it…But I reflected on why my father chastised me more because he did it so rarely…

In the end though, even in my trials, I count it all joy (sometimes grudgingly though)…

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  James 1:2-4

Because I love the Lord, and I want to go higher this year – and not  just in the natural – but in the spiritual…

What about you?

Any thoughts?

“I Give Myself Away So That You Can Use Me,” a great song by William McDowell. Check it out…

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