HERE's Jim Wallis' 10 New Year's resolutions for 2015. There are life lessons in these for people of all faiths and good people everywhere. We can do better, I must do better this year. From +Sojourners .....
10 Resolutions for 2015
by Jim Wallis 12-31-2014 | 4:53pm
Some
people don’t like the idea of New Year’s resolutions, but I do. We often
only use the word in the context of this season, but “resolution” is a
nuanced noun. Some of its definitions include:
A new day. Image courtesy eelnosiva/shutterstock.com
A firm decision to do or not to do something — see: intention, resolve, plan, commitment, pledge.
The quality of being determined or resolute —
see: determination, purpose, steadfastness, perseverance,tenacity,
tenaciousness, staying power, dedication, commitment, stubbornness,
boldness, spiritedness, bravery, courage, pluck, grit.
The action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter — solution to, settlement of, conclusion to, “the peaceful resolution of all disputes.”
In
a world of seemingly endless conflicts, I sure like the sound of that.
We need more of all of these qualities just now. All three meanings of
resolution are wonderfully attractive to me — and timely for this brand
new year. So here are my 10 resolutions for this 2015:
1. Love God. We
can’t really love anyone if we don’t spend time with them. Take the
time this year to be quiet and listen to God in prayer. My dad’s old
Bible, which I got to keep when he died, is full of multi-colored notes
underlining the text, from his reading of it literally every day — every
day for me too this year.
2. Extend who our neighbors are; whom we are also called to love. When
Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor,?” he told people to reach beyond
themselves, their natural groups, and their regular boundaries to the
neighbors who were further away from them, especially to those who are
in most trouble. My mother’s two instructions to us were always clear:
If there is a kid on the playground that nobody else is playing with,
you play with them. And if there is a bully picking on other kids, you
stand up to him. Okay, Mom.
3. Love hardest those who are the closest. The
relationships that will bring us most joy and sorrow are inside our
inner circle that we are most responsible for. Our wives, husbands,
partners; dearest friends; and, especially, our children must be the
first priority, the first claim on our lives and time. Whoever or
whatever else we are or will ever be — to them we are really only dad or
mom.
4. Build racial bridges. We
are at a crisis point — and a point of great opportunity to heal wounds
and move racial justice forward. It’s time to help lead America into
its diverse and changing-demographic future.
5. Always Ask, “What does this mean for the poor and vulnerable?” What
happens to these members of society is a chief criterion for God’s
judgment on a nation’s righteousness and our own integrity. So that must
be the first question of every public policy debate this year, and we
must be the ones to raise it.
6. Support and empower women and girls. This
half of God’s children not only bears the brunt of the world’s
injustice and conflicts, but is absolutely essential to their
resolutions. The most repressive hierarchies fear the education of girls
above all else.
7. Stand up for the reality of climate change. If
we say we love God and care for God’s creation, it is time to raise our
voices over the crisis of climate change. It’s time to start turning
around, and we must begin to do that.
8. Question every act of war. Peacemaking
is not finding another war to win, but getting underneath the conflicts
to their causes. We must question each escalation of war and continue
to ask our leaders why this keeps happening.
9. Practice presence. Spend
less time with screens and more with books, less time with complaining
and more with solving, less time with arguing and more with listening,
less time with shopping and more time with being thankful, less time
with worrying and more with exercising, less time obsessing about food
and more time eating well, less time planning and more time doing, less
time scheduling and more time living one day at a time.
10. Embrace hope and joy. Try
to replace disappointment and despair with hope — not as a feeling but
as a decision. Try to replace anxiety with joy — which means to be open
to all the surprises, blessings, and gifts that we can’t control but are
offered by God and the people God surrounds us with, if we are paying
attention.
My 11th resolution is for all those who have read this or anything else Sojourners has offered in 2014.
I humbly but sincerely ask you to remember Sojourners’ work and to support our mission in 2015. Pleasepledge the cost of a cup of coffee, or a meal, or a shopping trip or a tithe each month; or make a 2015 year’s gift promise of your resources or legacy to Sojourners; or make another decision of support whose aim, is to help Sojourners to plan its purposeful mission with bravery, boldness, and courage for another year and for years to come. For 2015, we ask for your commitment to help us to fulfill our calling.
May God bless us every one.
Make your commitment to Sojourners’ work in 2015 by clicking here.
Jim Wallis is
president of Sojourners. His book,The (Un)Common Good: How the Gospel
Brings Hope to a World Divided, the updated and revised paperback
version of On God’s Side, is available now. Follow Jim on
Twitter @JimWallis. Sandi Villarreal is Web Editor & Chief Digital Officer for Sojourners. You can follow her on Twitter @Sandi.
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