As we turn the calendar page to a new year once again, many of us
go through the exercise (or at least the thought) of making New Year’s resolutions. For many who make
such resolutions, a high percentage fail to stick with them. One study shows that as few as 8% of people fulfill their New Year’s resolutions. One reason we fail is because we
are too ambitious. We want to see
big changes, so we set big goals. We may resolve to have a thirty minute quiet time every day or read through the Bible in a year - when we haven’t been doing these things at all! While these are laudable goals, if we are starting these habits for the first time, they may be too ambitious to keep!
A better way is to make small changes each day that, over time, add up to big changes. For example, instead of the thirty minute quiet time goal, maybe resolve to wake
up one minute earlier each day and spend the time reading the Bible. In
a month, you’ll be at thirty minutes and can decide whether to continue adding a minute each day! Or instea
