Revelation 2:3-4
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? I make at least one every year. It is a routine, but not a meaningful one. Why? All New Year’s resolutions require change, and all humans (including me) are naturally change resistant.
Change management theory tells us that the “human side” of change is critical to making change happen. People must understand and embrace the challenge inherent in change. Change requires building an emotional case and commitment for different behavior, so that new behavior becomes the new normal.
But what if the change we need to think about this year is not changing our activities, but changing the “emotional case” for what we do? Our norm may be doing the right thing, but not for the right reason. Do we still have the passion for what we do? Do we still buy in to the “emotional case” for our behavior? This is a particularly relevant question for Christians and is what this scripture asks us to think about. We know we should come to church, participate in missions, and teach Sunday School – but do we do these things with passion for Jesus Christ? Do we do them to benefit ourselves, or the cause of the universal Church and its mission?
Maybe our New Year’s resolution this year should not be to change our actions, but to change our hearts to be more attuned to the will of God. Who knows what we could accomplish if we follow through on this resolution!
Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to know your plan for my New Year’s Resolutions. Amen.
Susan Rucker