Happy New Year!  2015 is here and depending on your celebration, it came with a ball drop, cork pop, praise, or deep reflection.  One very common tradition involves making resolutions.  Do you have any?  We may choose to write them down or tell them to family or friends.  In either case, we resolve that the new year will be better than the old one.

“There is an important distinction between a resolution and a pre-decision.  A resolution depends on my resolve.  A pre-decision requires me to trust God.”

I like the idea of incorporating activities or habits that improve the quality of life.  However, for the most part the annual resolution ritual escapes me. I’ve seen (and experienced) the disappointment in setting unrealistic goals fueled by individual resolve. The enthusiasm in January often fizzles out quicker than we can say March.

However, I am a fan of making pre-decisions.  It is deciding how we’ll respond to a situation before we encounter it.  For example, we decide on the quality of our work before we start a task.  Prior to attending a social event, we decide how friendly we’ll be as we meet new people.  For me, there is an important distinction between a resolution and a pre-decision.  A resolution depends on my resolve.  A pre-decision requires me to trust God.

God is the original Pre-Decider.  He did it about our redemption before shaping Adam from the dust. He did it about our life’s purpose before we could earn or reject it.  And He did it about our victory before we had any opposition.

So what are you pre-deciding?  I’m pre-deciding that in Christ, I have more than enough to be blessed and to be a blessing to others.  I’m pre-deciding that when things don’t work out according to my plans, I am still in the Hands of God and His purpose will come to pass.  I’m pre-deciding that in my weakest moments the unfailing love and invincible strength of God will come shining through.  Even as I make these declarations, I am trusting God to keep me mindful of His promises and to enable me to fulfill His call.

From now until December, discouragement may try to surface. If it rears its ugly head in your life or mine, it will try to convince us that quitting some God-given pursuit or passion is a better option.  But quitting the God path is never a better option.  It leads to the worst kind of existence for us and for those we care about.  So if I happen to fall or even crawl along His path for my life, I pre-decide the best option is to get back up!

If you want to make that pre-decision too, here’s some good news:  when life gets tough, God has promised that those who place their trust in Him will triumph.  Have a Happy New Year.   May it be your best year yet.  And from January through December may you have an enduring hope for your heart and an overflowing joy in your soul!

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:3-5 NLT).