It’s interesting that many of us start our year’s off with resolutions. In many ways I think it is a good idea, it being a very productive way to set our minds on the year ahead and what we hope to accomplish. At the same time, we all know the reputation of New Year’s Resolutions, they start great in January and they crash and burn by February.
I wonder if maybe it would be better to start off our year, by soberly looking back on the previous year and acknowledging the mistakes we’ve made, admitting them and then preparing to move on. There is something powerful in confession; acknowledging our shortcomings is a much more freeing experience then we ever give it credit for. For some reason, it is so difficult to admit when we are wrong, yet, when we do I think we connect with one another on a much deeper level. We take a step down from our high horse, we take of the mask that has been hiding are true character, we begin to see one another for who and what we really are.

I do have some big goals for this coming year, I’m anticipating some new and exciting opportunities, and I’m prepared to accomplish great things, but I first need to step back and acknowledge, that I had the same ambition last January. Last year I ambitiously set out to be a better person then I was the year before. In some ways I think I can say I accomplished that task, but in many others I fell short.
I wanted to be better and improve, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, creatively, financially, and relationally. There are victories that I’ve had this year in each of those categories, but if I’m honest, there are a lot of things I didn’t do. There are a lot of areas where I fully knew what it was I wanted to do, and I didn’t do it, in fact, sometimes I did the very opposite. I wanted to love my wife more this past year, but many times I seemed to communicate the exact opposite. We tried to follow a budget, but during the past few months we threw the budget to the wind. I intended to read more, and I had the time, but I squandered it. I fully intended to build and invest in my relationships, but I fell far short of being the friend I know I could be.
I’m not a perfect person, and don’t worry, I didn’t think I was. If I’m going to set out to accomplish some ambitious goals this year, I need to do it with a full awareness of myself. I rely on my own strength too much, I fail more often then not, I lack the integrity I pretend that I have and I love myself far more then I love others. My goal for this year:

“He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.”