When Resolutions Get Hard

News flash: We’re 16 days deep into the New Year.
 
But perhaps you already knew that.

Maybe, like me, you’ve been checking off the days and staring down the 349 left to go.
 
I don’t know what resolutions you made or goals you set, but I do know that this is about the time that discouragement starts to creep its way into our sparkly dreams.

The fun of new beginnings becomes replaced by frustration, exhaustion, or even apathy, and taint our hope that, perhaps, change is possible.
 
So what do we do when our Bible plan is at 5%, the scale has stopped moving, and our children are still crazy?
 
We all have that friend who lost 40 pounds and changed their life, and the other who finally started their own business last year. What’s the difference? What’s the magical formula to making and keeping these promises to ourselves?
 
I found myself asking this question yesterday as I huffed and puffed my way through a HIIT and strength routine.
 
Two years ago I was sick and tired of the way I looked and felt. I had made every excuse for why I couldn’t workout. So almost two years ago, to the date, I stopped.
 
I stopped making excuses, and I showed up.
 
I showed up when I felt like it, and when I didn’t.
I showed up when I felt strong, and when I was so sore I didn’t think I could lift the remote.
I showed up when I could see and feel progress, and when I couldn’t.
 
And do you know what? The results came. After a year, I had lost over 15 pounds and felt better than I’ve ever felt in my entire life.
 
I didn’t do anything that would seem spectacular or even praise-worthy. I didn’t pin 46 tricks to lose weight. I didn’t spend $200 on a webinar that would tell me the secret to success.
 
I simply showed up.
 
Now, I’m not saying these things are bad. Certainly there are a lot of fantastic tools and some helpful information out there--but none of it will work if you don’t.
 
You want to know the sad news?
I re-gained nearly all of those 15 pounds last year.
Shocking, I know.
 
You want to know what I did?
I stopped showing up.
Mentally and physically.
 
I allowed the excuses back in, and found fifteen friends who agreed with them…
And I simply stopped.
 
So here I am, back at square one this New Year.
But I’m not dismayed, because the good news is it’s not over.
 
I’ve started showing up again.
And I’m applying what I’ve learned to other areas, too.
 
What are your resolutions or goals this year?
I want to re-lose the weight, write more, and work on my relationships.
 
No matter your “race”, you get to the finish line one step at a time.
 
So show up.
Stay in your lane.
And keep taking steps.
 
Some days will be sprints. Others will feel like a crawl. But you’ll be moving forward.
 
I love the encouragement Paul gives in Galatians 6, verse 9 when he says, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
 
Those resolutions, those dreams, those plans—they are God-given.
Do you know He wants you to succeed?
 
The best news is He can take our steps of faith and multiply them beyond what we ever thought imaginable.
 
But we have to show up.
 
Show up at your small group. Show up at the dinner table. Show up at the gym. Show up to the phone call. Show up to that book you started. Show up to the paperwork.
 
Don’t give up.
Show up.

---