Julie Gurrola | Banner Benjamin Q. Coe, junior communication disorders major, made a New Year’s resolution to read the entire Bible in one year. He is also a part of a Facebook group that shares the same resolution as they reflect with each other on what they read.
Countless people are fixated on the idea of New Year’s resolutions and the possibility of failing to meet their goals. However, Christians should have a different view of making resolutions for themselves.
The new year is about new beginnings — most people are more prone to dream bigger, work harder and reinvent themselves. However, even with all of this striving, most burn out before spring.
John Montgomery, dean of spiritual life, explained that people often fail because of their lofty goals and the lack of discipline they have to follow through.
“When we make resolutions, we should always be mindful that we will always fail in our own efforts,” Montgomery said.
He continued that Christians can be successful if they use their resolutions to declare dependence on God. Montgomery also said everything a Christian is and owns belongs to the Lord and they should be responsible stewards.
“Goals give us a marker to measure growth. By setting goals, we can see if we are improving,” said Kevin J. Cotton, senior mathematics major.
Cotton described New Year’s resolutions as a time to start doing things people are supposed to be doing the entire year.
He said he believes people do not always keep their goals because goals are hard to meet and require discipline — discipline is something that people should resolve to.
Benjamin Q. Coe, junior communication disorders major, said he makes a list of everything that comes to mind when considering resolutions and then he throws away the list — whatever he remembers is important so he sets out to meet those goals.
“You can’t just want it, you have to take an action — plan it out and execute that goal,” Coe said. “It doesn’t just come to you.”
Coe said he believes goals are met when people do something about their resolutions. He also said that prayer and flexibility are important for Christians when considering what their resolutions should be.
“I don’t live my life by my goals or by my resolutions,” Coe said. “I live my life on this narrow path of faith. I almost just look ahead and say, ‘Oh hey, there’s a check point.’”
The hype of accomplishing resolutions should not be the focus, but rather it should be something individuals use to make sure they are on the right path, Coe said.
“Pray about what your goals should be—ask God to make it clear what goals you need to set for yourself or what things you need to change in your life,” said Callie R. Kolb, junior early childhood studies major.
Kolb pointed out that resolutions are not strictly limited to the beginning of the year.
“We don’t need to wait until the new year to make a resolution or have a new beginning because Christ offers that to us everyday,” Kolb said.
New Year’s resolutions can be something to assist Christians in their spiritual walk as long as those goals coincide with their proper identity in Christ and his expectation of his children.
