“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow…”

             -James 4:14

Can you believe the holidays are almost over? It seems like just a few short weeks ago that we were carving turkeys and putting up Christmas lights, yet my calendar tells me that the old year has just ended and a new one just begun. 2012, now officially upon us, offers us a fresh start at things we may have done less than succeed at in 2011.

I typically don’t make an official list of resolutions for the New Year, but I do of course have a few things I’d like to improve on throughout the months ahead. Things like buying a car and graduating were fairly simple goals for me to come up with, whereas some soul-searching was required to realize the areas that need changing on a much deeper, spiritual level. Add my name to the list of Christians determined to pray more, study harder, and live a godlier life this year than ever before.

What changes have you slated for 2012? Regardless of what goals you’ve set, let me encourage you to take proactive steps toward making that happen. Do you want to get in shape? Then sign up for a 5k run in August. Do you want to start praying more? Then turn off your computer and go pray. As simple as it may sound, changing something in your life requires actually changing something in your life! You can’t expect to do the same things you’ve always done and get closer to God or lose weight; a positive change requires decisions to be made and action to be taken.

The mistake we often make with New Year’s resolutions is in believing they are one-time decisions – something we commit to once and then can simply watch for the results. If you’re really serious about accomplishing something, however, then it’s probably a commitment you’ll have to renew at least 366 times throughout the coming year¹. Tomorrow when you wake up, the will to improve your relationships or get out of debt won’t greet you with a morning kiss; you’ll have to again remind yourself of just how much change is truly needed and pray for the strength to make progress in your war against complacency.

Tomorrow is a day which always holds the best intentions, yet never does any good because it’s always 24 hours away. The worst mistake you could make next to discarding your resolutions altogether is to put off making a difference until tomorrow. Decide now to fulfill the resolutions you talked about yesterday and make 2012 a year to remember, not for failed attempts, but for fulfilled commitments. This could be your best year yet and it starts today.

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¹ It’s leap year.