From the Pastor…Resolutions

At one time I was a big fan of “New Year’s Resolutions.” Each year I, along with millions of other Americans, would make big plans for how my life was going to experience a major shift as the calendar rolled around to January 1. People do it every year. Resolve to lose weight, read more, quit smoking, quit drinking, go to church, meditate, save money, get out of debt. The list goes on and on, and these things are probably worthwhile. But it happens each year, the January 1 crowd at the health club is all but vanished well before Valentine’s Day.
Because for most of us, New Year’s Resolutions just don’t last. That is the first reason I no longer like them, but also, it seems that New Year’s Resolutions seem to cause us to imagine a new, different, totally “other” self that we want to become during the next year. We forget that we carry ourselves with us into the new year, and our current self is not somehow “less than” or not enough. Sure, there are things that I would like to change, but if I were able to make those changes, I would not somehow be more worthy or lovable to God.
With all of that said, Wendell Berry offers a “pleasingly unoriginal” formula for a good life, and as the new year approached last week, I considered these again:

Slow down.
Pay attention.
Do good work.
Love your neighbors.
Love your place.
Stay in your place.
Settle for less, enjoy it more.

Berry’s seven suggested practices don’t normally appear on the published lists of resolutions, and I don’t even think they would work as a resolution. They wouldn’t work well as a checklist. They actually remind me of Paul’s admonition in 1 Thessalonians, “aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.” But Berry’s (and Paul’s) encourage practices that I would like to move into more deeply this year. Happy New Year!