Faithfulness: A New Year’s Resolution Rooted in Grace

New Year’s resolutions. To some, that concept invigorates. To others, it’s crippling, overwhelming, and a setup for discouragement.

For many years, I’ve pondered what positive changes I’d like to pursue as a new year approaches. The nature of January first brings with it a sense of freshness and renewed hope. And with that, it inspires us to hit the reset button on habits, patterns, and goals we hope to pursue in life.

But as the years have gone by, and each new year seems to contain more curveballs and challenges than the one before, I’ve been faced with the reality that I have far less control than I think I do. Although it can be good to set goals for ourselves, when they are rooted purely in self-reliance and self-improvement, we set ourselves up for disappointment when we fall short in any capacity.

For that reason, maybe you’d like to join me in pursuing faithfulness this year, knowing that only God knows how that will practically look with what lies ahead. Faithfulness may mean being content in the mundane, even if it isn’t glamorous or what we desire. On the other hand, faithfulness may mean being willing to step out of our comfort zone, tackling an opportunity that feels impossible. Faithfulness may mean exercising more, or it may mean resting in God’s grace amidst an illness or injury that prevents us from achieving our goals.

To some, faithfulness may mean making practical changes to how we use our time, but it also may simply look like getting out of bed each morning, despite grief smacking you in the face every time you wake, or desperately gripping onto the hem of Jesus’ garment as doubts taunt you around every corner. Faithfulness may look like committing to consistent Bible reading, but it may also mean taking the time to soak in the truths of the Bible over a few years, rather than plowing through it in one. Faithfulness will look different for each of us in our unique circumstances and seasons. And undergirding our desire to be faithful must be the truth that God will remain faithful, even if we falter or fall short. That is faithfulness rooted in grace.

Friend, the reality is, we only know what we know at this moment in time. God has made it clear that “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Therefore, if we feel compelled to enter this new year with the pursuit of new goals, improving habits, and growing in character, let’s do so on the foundation of God’s grace, knowing that your identity is in Jesus’ perfect righteousness and faithfulness, not our own.

By his grace, we will become more like Jesus this year and be able to look back and thank him for being faithful to do that work in us. But as we make resolutions, let’s remember that our hope is not based in our ability to self-improve, our hope is in what Christ has already accomplished on our behalf. And if he has already given us life in him, he will be faithful to give us the grace to walk in that newness of life as we lean on him in the year to come.

Home is around the corner,

Sarah Walton

To read more of Sarah’s writings, you can purchase a copy of Hope When It Hurts (30 short biblical reflections for hope in your suffering), Tears and Tossings (short evangelistic resource on how God carries our sorrows), or Together Through the Storms (for married couples navigating the trials of life). If you’re a mom (or know a mom), you can also now order Sarah and Linda’s (mother/daughter) book, He Gives More Grace: 30 Hope-filled Reflections for the Ups and Downs of Motherhood Through the Years on Amazon or The Good Book Company. And you can find amazing bonuses HERE!