It's day two! Who's made New Year's resolutions? Who's already given up on one of them? I don't know who decided it was a good idea to set a random goal and commit to it for a whole year. Anyone who's ever successfully navigated goal-setting and completion will tell you that following through takes much more thought than that. One of the main problems with New Year's resolutions is that they are generally nothing more than ideas or wishes.

In 2026, I hope to lose weight. I want to make more friends. I'd like to get a better job. I want to keep my house cleaner.

In other words, they are not concrete. Not cemented. Not established. Not planned.

1. If we want to have a successful resolution, we need to plan it.

God is a planner. There's plenty of evidence of this in scripture. For example, Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." We learn in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Is it too much of a stretch to consider that if we are created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27) and HE needed to plan to achieve success, that we certainly need to prepare as well? If the creator of the universe didn't just wing it, how can we have the audacity to think we can go through life without planning?

God intends us to be mindful. Intentional. We are told in Ephesians 5:15 to pay attention to how we walk. Any good resolution should keep that in mind.

2. If we want to have a successful resolution, we need to think on the short term.

We are short-term people serving a long-term God. We are like Martha in Luke 10:41-42, anxious and worried about many things. Proverbs 4:25 tells us to let our eyes look straight forward, but we don't do that, do we? We are like the Israelites--distracted and unfocused.

And because of this, we fail to meet our year-long goals, having set our deadline too far ahead.

That's why this year, I'm not making a New Year's resolution. Well, maybe I am. My New Year's resolution is to make a New Day's resolution. To start every day off and make a new goal. An attainable goal. A short-term goal with long-term benefit.

Pennies make dollars. Letters make words. And short-term, daily gains will help me become a better person over the course of the whole year.

Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Our commitment should be new every morning as well.

Therefore, may we all consider the words of the psalmist in Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for in you I put my trust. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

And I ask you one final question. Today is a new day. What's your New Day's resolution?