Have you made any new year’s resolutions? I used to but I don’t think I ever accomplished anything I’d resolved to do because I was not really resolute … admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering (according to the dictionary on my laptop).

As I wondered what being resolute would look like, I remembered Luke 9:51: Now when the days drew near for Him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem. Jesus was admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering in His commitment to His Father to live a human life perfectly attuned to everything His Father wanted Him to do, say or be, and die an agonizing death after hours of physical torture to pay the price for everyone’s sin so that anyone who believed in Him could know His Father as their Father (John 3:16-21).

On our own, we cannot live resolutely as Jesus did. We don’t even know what that life would look like; but the Bible tells us: He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. (Micah 6:8 NET). Peter adds that God’s divine power “has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the One who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

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We can only live life God’s way if we know Him as He wants to be known, and we believe He is willing (and able) to help us live that life. My responses and reactions to the circumstances and situations of my life in 2022 made me realize that too often I did not think, be or do what the Bible says a believer in Jesus should think, be or do. It was an incredibly humbling year.

As the new year got closer, I realized it would take more than a New Year resolution to make the kind of changes I needed, but where to begin?

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In Matthew 11:28. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Hebrews 4:10 gives a clue on what His rest is, “For the one who enters Godʼs rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from His own works. God says through the Psalmist, “Be still [stop striving] and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I need the kind of rest Jesus promised. The final piece of my resolution revolution came earlier this week as I was talking with a good friend about resolutions. She said she doesn’t make them anymore. Instead, she commits to only one “non-negotiable” every year. I really like that idea and the phrase!!

So, I started to think about my own “one non-negotiable” thing to help me enter Jesus’ rest, and I’ve made a non-negotiable appointment for the same time every day of 2023 to “come”, “be still,” and consistently read His word to learn more about Him. I believe He will bring me to my place of rest.

That’s the story of my resolution revolution. If my story resonates with you, I encourage you to think about having your own resolution revolution — come to Jesus, be still and get to know Him. Jesus said, “The one who comes to me I will never send away…for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 6:37, 40)

Victoria Van Couvering is the women’s ministry director at Craig Christian Church. You can reach her at victoria_van_c@yahoo.com.