After giving up for like the 8 billionth time on a rubix cube, my friend showed me the strategy to solving it. For him it was simple, solve it in stages, memorize a few algorithms – boom. I tried again, it turns out each of those algorithms take like an hour to learn. So I resolved to NOT solve a rubix cube this year – haha. So far I am succeeding! Yay!

Sometimes our resolutions seem like unsolvable rubix cubes. We want to work out daily, read a book a month, eat less candy, enjoy life to the fullest, stop looking at our phone so much, learn a new skill, travel more, or not make any resolutions (head scratcher). All of them sound great until we set our willpower to doing them and realize that habits eat will-power for breakfast. But I do believe that resolutions are worth making. You, God and others all deserve a better you in 2017. So here’s my list of resolutions worth making (and keeping) in 2017 . . .

1. Be more hope-filled. This involves a retraining of your habits in thought. Begin to set a trajectory in your thoughts toward hope. Imagine your mind being like a child with never-ending hope. And then imagine that again – make that one same decision over and over again. I’ve heard it said, “Whoever has the most hope has the most influence.” Grow your hope quotient in 2017.

2. Be continually growing. I believe God is proud of us when we set our heart to constant improvement. We haven’t arrived, we’re not satisfied or stagnant, but are leaning into His best in every area of our life. God wrote creative growth into our DNA and into every part of creation, and then He called us to do it also – a 50 cent word called sanctification 🙂 it means to become more and more set apart for God. So resolve to be growing in every area of life, and then set achievable, specific bite sized goals and set your heart to them (that works way better than your will)

3. See yourself as worthwhile. That’s how God sees you. He saw you as worthwhile when He created you. He saw you as worthwhile when He sent His Son Jesus to earth to die for you. And He sees you as worthwhile right now, because His Spirit is inside you to daily guide you into growth. So see yourself that way.

4. Encourage someone. As often as possible – there are ways to encourage people even when you don’t see a whole lot of people (facebook, text, phone call, etc). There is nothing that will speak more volumes to your worth and growth like when you give encouragement away. We don’t encourage to validate ourselves spiritually, we encourage because we are validated by God. He loves us and thinks we’re amazing – and every person around us is an object of wonder and majesty.

The biggest problem with resolution is that we base them in our will. Our will has amnesia – like Dory the fish, our will won’t remember 10 minutes later what our mind told it to go after – as quickly as our next habit kicks in. That’s why the real resolution happens in the transforming of our mind – so that our habits get retrained over time.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2 NIV)

So make some resolutions that work this year – that will prove God’s will – His will is good, pleasing and perfect :-). What are some other resolutions worth making?