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Recently, my oldest child joined AWANA. For those of you unfamiliar with this program, it encourages children to memorize Scripture while at the same time playing games and learning more about God. One of her Bible verses was Psalm 139:14a – “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (ESV). Although I have heard this verse countless times, it took on a new meaning when I heard it out of the mouth of my three-year old because as I have matured, I have realized the beauty of this truth, and how few people actually embrace it.

Part of what it means to be “fearfully and wonderfully made” is that God has given us unique talents, skills and opportunities. He has not made you to be someone different; instead He has formed you to be who He intended for the purposes of His Kingdom. He desires to use you in a way that He doesn’t intend to use anyone else. Ephesians 2:10 says that He has planned out the “good works” that we are to do. This means that my job is not the same as yours. And just as He has created you “fearfully and wonderfully” for what He has called you to do, so He has created me. We are different partly because God intends to use us in different ways.

Of course the temptation is to compare assignments and capabilities, giving truth to the old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side.” We may look at the family of God and wish that we had someone else’s role. But imagine what an affront that must be to God! He has given us the privilege to be used by Him – and equipped us to His work – and yet we want to argue over who gets the better gig.

Instead, may we all rejoice that God has gifted us in unique and purposeful ways. And may we use what He has given us for His Kingdom’s purposes. That others may know Him more, and that His name may be praised.

I have never been a big fan of New Year resolutions. There are several reasons why. First, I never understood why I should wait until the calendar changed to make a change in my life. If there was a goal that was worthy enough to work on, then it seemed I should start working on it now, rather than later. Secondly, New Year’s resolutions seemed to be rather dichotomous – either you achieved them or you didn’t. Most changes are gradual in nature, and I didn’t like the sense of “failing” if I happened to have a day when my resolve waned. I am the type of person that likes to keep on making progress. I didn’t want to forgo my goal in its entirety simply because I had a day or two when my focus wasn’t as it should be.

My lack of appreciation for this annual ritual has grown in recent years because I have increasingly realized that most people make their resolutions based on what’s important to them. This may seem obvious, but if you listen carefully, rarely will you hear someone’s whose list of desired achievements has to do with anyone besides themselves. Perhaps there are good reasons for this – after all you can only change yourself – but it seems that there is not even attempt to do anything beyond that which will make the individual happy. “I want to lose weight.” “I want to read more.” Even the seemingly altruistic resolutions that focus on “becoming a better person” often have a lot more to do with the perception we want other people to have of us than we may be willing to admit. When I sit down to think about my plans for the coming year, it is tempting to consider my perspective alone – and what will give me a feeling of satisfaction if I achieve it before the calendar changes again.

As Christians, however, our agenda is not our own. Our focus shouldn’t be on what we want to achieve, but what God wants to achieve in us. Resolutions of any sort, shouldn’t happen without spending time in prayer and without careful contemplation of Scripture. We should be seeking God’s wisdom for the goals that He wants us to focus on, and we should be aligning ourselves with His stated intentions, not asking Him to align with ours. Our “resolutions” shouldn’t be an attempt to help secure more of our own happiness, but instead our focus should be on how we can obtain more Christ-likeness as we seek to serve and honor Him. We should be pursuing godly goals – and not just at the beginning of a new year.

I Thessalonians 4:3a states, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” In other words, if you are a Christian, God’s plan for your coming year (and any years that follow that) is to make you more like Him. My goals should have them same focus. And the good news is, even if I have failed to keep my new year’s resolutions, it is always a good time to make a goal to become more like Christ.