Involving God in Your New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! New year’s resolutions are popping up all over the place: lose weight, get in shape, wake up earlier… the list goes on. But how often do we make new year’s resolutions in our faith lives? I’m guilty of thinking of a million different resolutions that are completely unrelated to my faith, and I don’t want to do that this year. It sounds so obvious to say this, but God truly is everywhere and is a part of everything, so we need to involve Him in our resolutions. Even if we make resolutions that aren’t strictly faith-related, we can involve Christ in our goals for the year by praying for guidance and asking for His help as we try to keep these resolutions beyond the first month of the year. This week, I want to talk about how to involve our faith in secular new year’s resolutions. All things are possible with God--even keeping up with difficult resolutions!

To start, I’ve thought about a few resolutions that I have or that I know are common so that I can throw out some ideas about how to involve faith in these resolutions:

• Wake up when my alarm goes off and don’t reset it.

Have you ever heard of the heroic minute? Leah Darrow, a popular Catholic speaker, conquered the Heroic Minute Challenge last year, and I sincerely regret not doing the challenge with her. It sounds painful but extremely rewarding. This challenge stems from a quote by St. Josemaria Escriva that says that we should “conquer [ourselves] each day from the very first moment!” Many years ago, I put my alarm clock across the room from my bed so that I have to get up to turn it off (that tip was from an American Girl magazine, believe it or not), but I’ve noticed that I still lay in bed for a few minutes and let the alarm go off, much to the chagrin of former roommates and my family. So as I get up out of bed every morning--when my alarm actually goes off--I vow (on this very public blog…) to say a prayer for someone when I get up. I can’t think of a better way to start the day than a prayer!

• Lose weight and/or get in shape.

As someone who has recently lost a lot of weight and completely changed my fitness life (translation: I actually have fitness in my life now), I can tell you that it’s an extremely difficult task and prayer is a great help in this endeavor. Whatever your struggle in regards to food and exercise is, ask God for help! Sometimes, I would have to pray for an ice cream craving to go away; other times, I would have to pray for the motivation to go to the gym. But you can also directly involve prayer and fitness, too! Try praying the rosary while you walk or run. Say a Hail Mary or an Our Father to measure your reps instead of counting them with numbers. Comment below with other ideas--I’d love to know how you’re connecting faith and fitness.

• Learn something new.

This resolution is an awesome way to involve your faith! Read a book about a saint, try a new type of prayer, read some of the documents that Pope Francis has released, or explore a book in the Bible that you aren’t as familiar with. One of my favorite things about the Catholic Church is that there is always more to learn, so connecting this resolution to your faith is a great option.

• Tidy up/organize your life.

My sister recently read Marie Kondo’s book called “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and it truly did change her life. I have begun the process but have not been able to finish it as quickly as I would have liked. In her book, she discusses the idea that you need to have a reason for wanting to tidy up your life beyond simply wanting to get rid of stuff. As I reflected on my reasons for tidying up, I realized that I wanted to de-clutter my life to make more space for God. Sometimes, we get so bogged down by STUFF that we don’t leave enough room for God in our living spaces. I want to be able to pray in my room without getting distracted by overflowing bookshelves or piles of clothes on my chair. Involve your faith in your resolution to stay organized by reflecting on the impact that your “stuff” has on your relationship with God. Does it hinder it or enhance it?

The beginning of a new year is exciting because there is an open road ahead, and we have the opportunity to set out on the path that God has laid out for us. There will be obstacles and forks in the road and probably a few potholes, but won’t the journey be so much for joyful and impactful if we have God along

for the ride?

#newyears #resolution #goals #new #StJosemaria #joy