New Year? Need Jesus.


Photo credit: dhester from morguefile.com

My New Year’s resolution to eat less sugar crashed and burned in the candy aisle at 7-11. We’d been on the road for 10 hours. I was tired, the kids were cranky, we had another hour of drive time left to go, and that candy bar was doing the cha-cha and calling my name. I had earned that chocolate.

It was January 2.

40% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. 8% of us keep them. There’s something about the promise of a new year that makes us lift our heads and strain to catch a glimpse of something better. This year is going to be different. This is the year it’s finally going to happen. I’m going to lose weight; get organized, and get my finances straightened out. I’m going to stop yelling at the kids, start doing yoga, and convince myself that kale chips really are worth eating. I start with all the energy and enthusiasm in the world, but then reality sets in. Life is crazy, things get stressful, and little compromises start seeping around the edges. By February 1 I’m back to sitting on the couch eating Pringles and barking at the kids to clean their rooms while I browse sales on my iPad.

Resolutions and goals are great, but they aren’t enough. I can set the most specific, measurable, reachable goals in the world, but to see change I first have to change myself. Willpower, commitment, and accountability are important, but they don’t change who I am at the core. For that, I need something different.

I need someone different.

I need Jesus.

Jesus changes me. In Christ I am no longer a prisoner of my sin. I am set free to live a life that is pleasing to God. Salvation is a radical transformation of the heart. It’s not that Jesus changes my habits and routines with a snap of his finger—I still have work to do. But meeting Jesus transforms me from the inside out. My best resolutions are slapping on a new coat of paint in hopes it will fix the sagging roof. Jesus goes right to where it matters; repairing, rebuilding, restoring, and making me new. The key to transformation isn’t my strength. It’s his.

This year, I’m not making more resolutions. Instead, I’m leaning into trust—seeking out who God wants to be to me in this season of my life. Less of me. More of him.

That’s a resolution worth keeping. What are your resolutions for this new year?

4 Responses to New Year? Need Jesus.
  1. Barbie
    January 22, 2015 | 7:07 pm

    So good Leigh. I have some of the same goals, but know that only with Jesus can I even come close. Blessings!

    • Leigh
      January 23, 2015 | 6:49 pm

      Yep–not our strength but his. Thanks for commenting!

  2. Danise Jurado
    January 23, 2015 | 11:30 am

    I Love this … “I need something different. I need someone different. I need Jesus.” Yep… that’s it! We all need more and more of Jesus! He brings grace, strength and wisdom to bring true change in our lives. Blessings to you. stopping by from Blessings Counters 🙂

    • Leigh
      January 23, 2015 | 6:50 pm

      Jesus makes it all possible! Thanks for stopping by!