New Year Resolution: Jesus Style

Are you one to make New Year resolutions? If so, have you ever kept them through December 31st? Better yet, have your resolutions become lifetime habits that transcend the year you made them? I've never stuck to my good intentions when it comes to those first-of-the-year goals, and I wonder why that's the case. After reading an article from Jamie Erickson, I think my resolutions fail because they're not rooted in the thing (or person) that matters the most to me—Jesus. 

Jamie bases her New Year resolutions on Luke 2:52, which states, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people." As such, she chooses four areas of growth for the upcoming year: wisdom, stature (body), favor with God, and favor with man. 

Under the wisdom category, she plans to learn how to make sourdough bread. In stature, she plans to remove sugar from her diet. For favor with God, she is committing to read one book of the Bible each week. Regarding favor with man, she aims to be more intentional about her interactions with strangers, getting to know their names and stories. 

I plan to utilize Jamie's New Year resolution idea for 2023, and I'm inviting my kids to do it too! I created the below New Year printable to help us document our goals. We're going to hang it up on a closet door where we can be reminded of our goals and check in on our progress throughout the year. 

What about you? Is this a viable strategy for growth in the new year? If so, how would you like to develop in each of these four areas? 

Please enjoy this free printable for your family as well. You can download it below.

​Happy New Year!

Download New Year Printable