It’s only January 17th and already there’s a holiday whereby you can ditch your New Year’s resolutions.  It’s been a while since I’ve shared one of those weird holidays with you.  There is one for every day of the year – did you know that?  It seems a little early to be giving up on New Year’s promises to change our lives for the future, but as you know, we live in a society of instant fixes and immediate results, so I guess it’s understandable.  If you don’t lose twenty pounds in seventeen days or the desire for another drink or cigarette is stronger than your will power, it seems to be the natural thing to just give up.

I have learned in my seventy seven years of living that making resolutions is like setting impossible goals for ourselves.  We think we can do it, but somehow it doesn’t take long for us to realize our human nature gets in the way.  Our own hope of being in control falters and we give up.  We often not only fail, but our ego is also bruised in the trying.

Is it futile to try and control our lives?  I don’t think God wants us to sit back and wait for Him to make things happen.  He tells us in His Word,

” But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  1 Timothy 5:8

God expects us to plan for the future – to care for those within our families.  Without planning and counsel from those who know, we will often fall flat on our faces.  When we trust in the will of God, we are assured of a future filled with success.  It may not be one filled with riches, but His plans are always for our good.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

So on this day when we can actually celebrate being willing to accept that we are not always as good as our word, lets turn to God instead.  His will for us never fails.  We can depend on it.  The hardest thing for us to accept is the fact that we are not in control, but God is.  With that in mind, it’s so much easier to depend on His intervention in our lives and trust that He will fulfill every one of His promises.