We are a little over one week into the New Year. Statistics tell us that most people have already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions. How about you? Still going strong?
If you are going strong there is a good chance that what you have chosen as a resolution would fall into the category of behavior modification. We want to change something about our actions that we do not like. This is a great endeavor but something that we should do everyday and not just once a year.
We should regularly be taking inventory of what behaviors in our lives should stay and what should go. We should take our actions seriously because the reality of the world we live in is that what I do with my life does not just impact me but so many others around me. Case in point, my 401K this year. I was quite frustrated as I opened up my year-end review and saw that the number had decreased quite drastically for reasons that had nothing to do with my actions. Frustrating.
Life is like that though. Our actions impact others both positively and negatively.
In Joshua chapter 7 there is a story of a man named Achan who disobeyed God by taking items that were not meant for him. He couldn’t control himself. They were beautiful and he wanted them so he reached out and took them. That one seemingly small action impacted him, his whole family and an entire nation. The same thing happens today. Our actions impact others and we must take that seriously.
Do you think about it that way? It is time that we do. We must own our actions and realize that what we do makes a difference for so many more people than just ourselves. Make this your New Year’s resolution. Decide to modify your behavior so that not only will you be the beneficiary of your new life but so will others around you. I can’t wait to see what happens in 2019 when we do this!