Six Asinine New Year Resolutions for 2016

Asinine means donkey-like. Stupid.

Come 2016 & at least those of us who are not too dejected have made our new year resolutions. Two weeks into the year, have you already felt the pinch of failure that has dented your confidence?

Hopefully you have made reasonable resolutions.

Here’s a look at some common & uncommon resolutions that are dumb, because they’re unattainable. But it’s interesting how so many of us resolve to live and behave as if these resolutions are true and are goals that are totally worth it.

Get ready for some resolution bubble-bursting!

Resolution 1: “To land my dream job in 2016”.
In one sense, a lot of people will get jobs this year- by hook or crook- that they desperately wanted to be in. In that sense, yes, yes many will get their “dream jobs”. But to get there, we will have bought into the devil ‘s delusion that this new job will keep us permanently happy, will give us a sense of fulfillment each week, where we won’t feel like leaving- EVER!

What wishful thinking! Jobs were never designed to make us happy. in the first place. The last I remember, God in response to mankind’s rebellion cursed our first ancestor that he would work by the sweat of his brow to earn his bread (Gen 3:17-19). Jobs were never designed to make us happy. in the first place. The last I remember, God in response to mankind’s rebellion cursed our first ancestor that he would work by the sweat of his brow to earn his bread (Gen 3:17-19).

So much for a dream job. Life on earth sounds more like dream gone wrong. You just need to ask a random person on the road what they think about their work (if they’re employed). Now, Christians will tell you they can find contentment in any job because their real master is Jesus who has delivered them from that curse graciously and put them on His payroll of grace; to work like He would have and to speak His renewing message. But don’t listen to Christians, they’re never practical! To such we say gently – “dream on”.

Resolution 2: “I will do 5 Adventure trips in 2016 to make my bucket-list complete.”
Holidays and trips are lovely. They make for good memories and can lead to gratitude. Infact, my wife and I got really sad when we thought we would miss out on one of our most favourite holiday trips this year. And yes, all people will do well to get regular rest and recreation.

Adventure rides, extreme sports, road trips and beaches have their own appeal, but here’s what holidays can’t do for you. They won’t let you stay happy once you’re done with the trip. How many times have you come back to work, only wishing you were really back in Goa? Doesn’t that prove we want some part of our souls to be satisfied, but we are not really able to pin-point the right mix that satisfies it?

We are poor judges when it comes to deciding sources of pleasure.

This is why though the bucket list will be completed, it runs the danger of piling on dissatisfaction with each passing year, the feeling of “oh I wish I had done more”. It is the law of diminishing returns all over again, seeping into each thrill we seek.

Instead of believing that scuba diving, BASE jumping and road trips across countries are going to satisfy our souls and make our day, I suggest we don’t spoil the good taste of adventures by attributing more to these activities than they can ever deliver.

There are things deeper than the oceans inside of our souls that all the merry-making by the shores can’t fulfill; but to the Christ belongs the ability to have our souls enthralled by His company!

Listen to the wisest Man alive when he said, “Take Care” –

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

Resolution 3: “This year, I will obey the Bible to be a good Christian.”
You might be a dedicated church-goer who realized with the dawning of 31st December that you should have done a much better job last year. You’ve gotten late for church meetings, got frustrated with your spouse or children and have told small lies to preserve your image. But it’s not too late; it’s 2016! You are already resolving you will reach church on time, that you will exercise every single day for an hour, that you will read the Bible each day and that you will …

Stop. Don’t you see the deep problem you’re in?

Don’t you realize that you and I have broken God’s law which shows us we can never measure up before His impartial standards? No amount of “correct” living can pay for our sins, our affronts against Jesus the Holy One, that we have done all these days.

If you think that by our good behaviour we can become “Good Christians”, then you’ve forgotten God doesn’t need good behaviour to make someone a child of God because at the outset there’s no one pure and holy to be found (Rom. 3:10-12). He makes us children of God by the merit and power of His Son’s obedience and then, our new changed nature leads us to obey from a position of love, power and trust in God’s character and His promises of new, Godly living He gives to all true Christians.

Maybe you need to consider your soul’s standing before even thinking of resolutions, and this I say for your eternal benefit, not for the sake of the next 365 days.

Resolution 4: I shall prove to my friends that the Bible has no errors and it can be trusted.
Well, don’t we all Christians desire to convince others we are not a bunch of mystical idiots who have left the shores of reality?

We probably have had enough of arguing back and forth with our non-Christian and/or athiest friends about Jesus being the only God and the Bible being completely trustworthy. Here’s some new year relief for you – it’s not your job to convince people. By that I mean, Christians only have the power to convey, and to live like Christ did. Spiritual conversion is supernatural change and that only God the Holy Spirit can do.

Yes, we know Science has not disproved the Bible. We also know that most critics of the Bible will show “faith” in newspapers readily but will critique the Bible whenever they can.

And yet, it’s incredibly difficult to “win” arguments on Whatsapp & Facebook about Science vs. the Bible with people who already have presuppositions and are not as open-minded as they claim. Chances are, even if you did win the argument, you will lose the person. So, let’s instead focus on asking God to make us bold in sharing the good news, in praying hard for our non-Christian friends, speaking the truth in love and living out a Christ-empowered, gracious life toward the same people who reject the author of Life himself. The results of such obedience to God can never be in our hands, because the result-maker is only Jesus.

What is God’s remedy for dejection at apparent failure in our labours? This—the assurance that God’s purpose cannot fail, that God’s plans cannot miscarry, that God’s will must be done. Our labours are not intended to bring about that which God has not decreed. —Arthur W. Pink

Resolution 5: In 2016, I will ensure I won’t disappoint my family.
You might be a father or a mother, a husband or a wife, or a child. You might have thought of doing better at your exams to make your parents happy. Maybe you want to romance your spouse at the best eating joints on the best dates possible . Maybe you desire to give your children the best education, the best tuitions, the best goodies and reasonably good vacation destinations.

You derive your happiness on most days from achieving these good things, but there’s every chance you will meet failure in 2016. You see, life was never designed so we find happiness out of makng people happy. Do we really think the meaning of life, is to just have people at the centre of our lives?

It’s not too hard to find families and relationships that will testify that many people are never happy, no matter what their loved ones buy for them or do for them. God made us and placed us on earth to glorify Him. John Piper reminds us of one big aspect of glorifying God.

Desiring God, Multnomah

If you really want to do the best for your family, lead them by example in finding your hourly, daily joy in Jesus, and by displaying His love to them.

Resolution 6: In 2016, I will try to find better love than Jesus.
Your boss may love your work. Your life-partner might love your charm. Your children may love your gifts. You might even try to draw out “love” from mere objects, but forget not the truth that while we were still sinners, enemies of a loving God, Christ sacrificed us to offer us a chance at new life (Romans 5:7-8).

Look not for cheap, earthly love, which will leave you high and dry. Run to Jesus at the cross; purity & love like His you shall never elsewhere find.

I hope these pointers will help you think twice about your resolutions for 2016 so you can make changes in the actual motives behind them.