By Gladyce Janky
Did you start the year with a list of New Year’s Resolutions? If so, you are among the millions who continue a tradition that can be traced back over 4000 years (see the sidebar New Year’s Resolution Trivia). Popular resolutions include improving finances and making healthy lifestyle changes.
The problem with resolutions is not the making of a list of personal goals to improve our lives but sticking to the plan to carry these out. One study found that 80% of individuals abandoned their goals by mid-February, and over 20% quit by the end of the first week of January. Perhaps this says something about the types of resolutions we make, not necessarily the desire to “turn over a new leaf.” The most popular resolutions in the United States involve giving up things that, at some level, make us happy. Maybe 2025 is the year to consider a new paradigm and make only one resolution, such as:
In 2025, I will become more of my authentic self.
For Christians, growing into our authentic or True Selves is a lifelong adventure that includes milestones of becoming more comfortable with our whole self (some might say warts and all), acknowledging our strengths (gifts from God) and graciously sharing them with others, and letting go of long-held grudges and forgiving what we once considered unforgivable.
The good news is this: There is no specific deadline for measuring success or failure for becoming more of our authentic selves. Becoming the person God hopes we will be is a transformational process that opens up more and more as we learn how to see our lives as God sees them. You might wonder, “How might I see my life as God sees it?”
An essential element of the Christian’s journey is intentionally spending time with God, such as attending Mass and reading scripture or other wisdom literature. Growing any relationship requires an investment of our time. We need time to reflect and to set aside a quiet period in our day to listen. One way to hear God more clearly is to develop a prayer practice focused on silence, “Be still and know that I am God, Ps. 46-10.” Centering Prayer and the Ignatian Daily Examen are examples of this type of prayer.
More good news: As we develop the ability to quiet the inner noise, we become more aware of God’s presence within us, and we are more inclined to pull away from what hinders us from becoming the best version of ourselves. We notice the things in our life that St. Ignatius calls “disorder attachment,” which is anything we put ahead of our relationship with God. Worldly attachments and how we feel about what we are surrendering cause us to give up on our typical New Year’s Resolutions. When we notice that God’s love fills the emptiness more completely than “stuff,” our disordered attachments fade.
One final bit of good news: If 2025 is the year you resolve to deepen your relationship with God, this is not a life change you need to make alone, nor is it something you must accomplish in one year. God is patient and waits until you are ready. Consider contacting one of the Spiritual Guides Ministry members to accompany you into a closer relationship with God. They meet you where you are on your journey and walk with you at your own pace.
Gladyce Janky gjanky@sescc.org
Beth Lema BLema@sescc.org
Virginia Volmer vvollmer@sescc.org
Blessing: As you enter 2025 which Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee year of Pilgrims of Hope, may the God of all goodness grant you a year filled with hope and the peace only God provides.
Our Families New Year’s resolution for 2025.
Don’t worry, be happy!
Herb Dietrich