Yesterday, I looked at the calendar to realize that we are more than half way thorough January. As January slips by many of us remember those pesky resolutions we made at the first of the year. If we stop to think, and are honest, this is about the point in the year where our good intentions from January 1st begin to wane. Many of us find ourselves slipping in resolve; we are not as “gung-ho” about those goals we made at the beginning of January. We reason to ourselves, “I will just sleep in one morning instead of going to the gym.” Of course that one morning turns in to two which turns into three. Let us just say that I speak from my own experience. Yes, I am the person who skipped the gym one morning at the end of January and completely forgot to go again until the middle of December. OOPS!
Why is it that we have so much trouble keeping our resolutions? Why? Is it that we are forgetful people with weak wills? I am simply not convinced that is the case.
Recently, I was reading an article written by
Don Miller and he talked about precisely this phenomena. Don reminds us that we set goals because there is something in our life that is not quite right and we desire to move into a different reality. He presents the example of people who are in great shape and have their finances in order probably don’t set goals to be in good shape or get their finances in order. Instead we set goals for the area of our life that need improvement. The only problem with this particular set-up is that we do not think in terms of goals. We think in terms of stories. As I reflected on his thoughts, a light came on inside my head. We are NOT forgetful and weak willed. We simply do not think in terms of arbitrary goals, because goals in isolation do not connect to the broader story in which we live. They become a chore and added duty instead of becoming part of our lives.
Take a moment to stop and reflect on a significant event you’re your childhood. Breath deeply, allow yourself to relax as your mind drifts back to that place. Let yourself experience that memory, fully see it. Do you happen to remember the smell or sounds from your memory? Do you remember what you wore, how the fabric felt against your skin? Do you remember how you felt in your memory? Feel free to give yourself permission to linger in your memory.
What are you remembering? Perhaps your memory is of a joyful time; perhaps it is a painful memory. But, if you were to share your memory with me, I am going to bet it was not a memory of completing your math homework on a random Tuesday night, or washing your clothes every Thursday evening. I’ll bet your memory was not of your grade on your Spanish test from March of your Jr Year of High School. Your memory was not one of an isolated goal but rather something wrapped inside a story that you have carried with you. You remember hitting the winning home run, not the 800 hours of batting practice beforehand. Of course the little memories, the rote activities, the things we often make goals are not forgotten, they usually are not the first thing we call to mind in a memory. They are not the main event, they are the details. The road we walk on our way to the main event. This is because the things we remember are the stories interwoven with our life through out the day.
Think about this in the context of your own life. What was your resolution? Did you plan to get in shape, eat right, exercise 4 times a week? How is that going for you? Maybe you are the type of person who lives for a goal; or maybe you are more like me and are looking for the extra time to sleep-in.
What if, instead of those goals above, you decide to run the ½ marathon with a friend? You both talk about it and make plans to do this together. What would it take from you to run the ½ marathon? You would have to train consistently. Your eating habits would have to change. Sure you would love that fifth brownie but it will kick your butt when you work out the next day. You will drink more water because you are working out and your body needs hydration. As you make plans to take part in this event with your friend you are creating your own story together. Visualize the morning of the race. You will have to get up early to get ready. You will arrive and feel the excitement and energy of the other runners. You will feel the exhaustion inside your body after you have been running awhile. You will feel the joy and elation when you cross the finish line. You will take a picture and frame it. You and your friend will always talk about the ½ marathon you ran together. It will become a piece of your shared story.
In the context of that shared story with your friend, you will have met all your goals. On the days you are tired, you will look forward to event which will motivate you on the day you dread getting out of bed and heading to the gym.
We find ourselves captivated by stories, our stories and the stories of others. We think and remember in stories. They make up so much of who we are. In fact, God has revealed Himself to us in the form of story. The Bible is The Story of God’s interactions with humankind. Not only that, but we are invited to be part of the story of God. Everyday.
I can almost hear your thoughts as you ask: How do we do this? Seriously, it is crazy difficult to live out the principles we find in the Bible. Have you read all everything Jesus said – even the difficult things?
My encouragement to us is that we do not simply “read” The Story of God. We immerse ourselves inside The Story of God. We read and allow The Story to enter our lives. We allow ourselves to become part of the story. We do not simply “know” the facts of the Bible, we internalize the stories that they become part of who we are and how we live.
Sure we can make a goal, to be “kind” to people. But I promise, at some point, you will have to interact with that person whose special talent is pushing your buttons. You will slip, before you know what is happening, you will open your mouth and say something you should not have said. But if our goal is to look for the image of Christ in our brother or sister, then everything changes. We see our brother differently. We see our sister in the context of God and his community. We are not killing him with kindness or loving the sinner and hating the sin. We are actively looking for that “image of Christ that [each person] uniquely reflects.” (Joni Eareckson Tada). There is a difference.
As January slips by, take a moment to look at your life. Look at your “practical goals” and your “spiritual goals”. How are you doing with them? Look for the story? Where is it? Do you need to create it? I encourage you to spend some time thinking of the story you are longing to write with your life. I encourage you to be intentional – we see the changes when we are intentional. Look deep into the story for where God is working. He is always, always, always working in our lives, if we let him. If we look for it, we can often see glimpses of it. My friends, write your story, hold on to it, look for yourself inside the story of God and allow him to change who you are and how you see His world.
