Diving Deeper in a New Year

It’s the dawn of a new year, so it’s time to reevaluate our lives and make resolutions we are sure to keep.

Oh . . . . . . who are we kidding? Resolutions are made to be broken. I don’t know about you, but I make resolutions on January 1 and then break them by about January 15.

I resolve to lose weight, but, you know, the chocolate calls my name whenever I visit the grocery store, not to mention the chips. I resolve to exercise, and walking outside is my favorite type of activity. It tends to get colder and colder outside in January where I live, so it’s easier to stay inside and watch game shows and old sitcoms. I have even resolved to spend more time writing, but these games of Spider Solitaire aren’t going to play themselves.

I have been thinking about making different types of goals, involving deeper stuff. It’s a stretch for me, as I am not the deepest person in the world (I know you are completely shocked, so snap yourself out of it and read on).

Here goes, some deeper goals:

Take more steps: most people want to get more physical steps each day to record on a fitness tracker. That’s a worthwhile goal, one I certainly need to do, but I want to take more steps in the direction God points, to reach for the prize He has for me.

Drink more Water: I’m sure we could all hydrate more, but I need to drink more Living Water by spending more time with Jesus—in prayer, in the Word, in listening to Him. Maybe some of the aforementioned resolutions will fall into place if I reach more for this goal.

Be more active (in my faith) overall: a sedentary lifestyle is bad for your physical body, but being sedentary in your faith is even worse. God tells us faith without works is dead, so I need to be more active in spreading the Good News and taking more leaps of faith.

Create a training journal: keeping track of advances in fitness can be helpful, but recording prayers and God’s answers (and His faithfulness) is important. This type of journaling will also help my writing life, sharpening the “instrument” and preparing for service in this area.

Achieve balance in activity: doing the same thing over and over makes exercise a struggle, and I don’t want other areas of my life to get stagnant either. A few years ago, on a whim, I took a painting class. I got hooked and have taken numerous classes since. Painting has become another creative outlet, and calligraphy has been a fun exercise as well. I have also experimented with different types of writing. Since I serve a creative God, I’ll hopefully continue to explore new avenues of expression.

There you go—some newfangled goals (let’s not call them resolutions). Why don’t you join me in reaching for the prize? We can grab some doughnuts along the way!

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.