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I recently read that the second Friday in January is known as Quitter’s Day because that’s the day many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions.

In my case, I have always chosen to avoid being a quitter by not making any resolutions. I fudged it for several years by writing a list of goals. Get it? They weren’t resolutions, they were goals. Haha.

I still have those lists. Do you know what? The same things are on the list, year after year. I wrote out the list, then put it aside and never looked at it again until it was time to write a new one. I made some progress on a few items sometimes, but never seriously worked on any of them.

The last goal I wrote was in 2021, and it is just two Bible verses that mean, essentially: put God’s priorities first. And looking back, I think that was the flaw in my previous attempts. I listed my goals in my own arrogance, not bothering to consult God about any of them. James advised people who did that: Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)

I have a magnet in my house that puts it another way: “People plan. God laughs.”

I think another reason people abandon resolutions after only a short time is that goals and resolutions are hard work. If you do them right, you have to make them specific and measurable. Exercise more? Too vague; you need to write down what kind of exercise and for how many minutes and what days you will do this and maybe even the time of day. And then you have to actually do that work.

In other words, you lay out a plan for how to do it and set aside time to do it — and budget money for it, if needed. For example, a gym membership or new jogging shoes. Whatever your goal is, there could be some costs associated with it. And every goal requires an expenditure of time. You can’t reach a goal if you don’t schedule the time to work on it.

So I think the reason most people abandon their resolution is that they discover it is just too much work. But I think the one thing that will make the difference between whether you stick with your resolution or give up on it is whether you put God first. The writer of Proverbs put it this way: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

So asking God for his guidance should be our first step, in making resolutions the same as in every other area of our lives. And we can turn to our Bibles for further guidance. Psalm 119:5 reminds us that his word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. Once when I was grumbling that exercise is too difficult for me because of my bad knees, I happened across Hebrews 12:12 — Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. You can’t tell me that wasn’t God giving me a nudge.

So do I exercise? Not formal exercise like at a gym or on one of those videos or anything. But I have started being more active — walking more, doing more active housework like mopping floors. Every once in a while I even do some stretching exercises or wall pushups. And I’ve noticed I can be on my feet for longer periods than I used to, climb steps more easily, and some other small improvements.

So remember the value of baby steps. And whether you are attempting a resolution or not, I pray that God will grant you a year of positive changes. A blessed New Year to all of you!