By Marek Zabriskie
If you are like most Americans, you have made a New Year’s resolution, and, if you’re like the vast majority of Americans, your resolution was to lose weight, exercise more or eat less.
These are the three most common New Year’s resolutions made by Americans.
We have all been there and made them. Perhaps you tried one or two of these for 2019. Studies show that the average American quits his or her New Year’s resolutions after three days.
The dessert at the restaurant looks too tempting to turn down. It’s hard to fit in time for exercise.
Why do we surrender our resolutions so quickly? Psychologists say it is because often we have no one to hold us accountable. I know that I have vowed in the past to eat less and exercise more; yet, I have never told my wife, daughters, or any friends or colleagues at work. There was no one to hold me accountable as I ordered dessert in a restaurant or failed to get to the gym. For me, it can be as easy to surrender my resolutions as it is to make them.
Even if the New Year has already begun, it’s not too late to make a spiritual New Year’s resolution. Considering committing to reading the Bible in a year. Read three chapters of the Old Testament, one psalm and a chapter of the New Testament each day, omitting Sundays when you hear Scripture read aloud in church.
This reading pattern will get you through the entire Bible in a year and take you 20-30 minutes a day.
To learn more, visit thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org and see a “Read the Bible in a Year Reading Plan” and “How to Get Started as an Individual” that I designed seven years ago. Over a million Christians and seekers have used it to read the greatest book ever put into human hands. Copies of The Bible Challenge that I edited to accompany the big read are available at Christ Church Books & Gifts. It includes meditations, questions and a prayer to accompany each day’s reading.
The reading plan is simple, easy and life transforming. The goal is not to read the Bible as an academic exercise or with jaded eyes of a skeptic. Instead, it is to read the Bible, as St. Augustine notes, as “love letters from home,” seeking wisdom for daily living and a greater comprehension of God and the abundant life that Jesus promises us.
Another spiritual resolution is to commit to praying for 10-15 minutes each day. I enjoy Work of God: Benedictine Prayer, edited by Judith Sutera, O.S.B. published by The Liturgical Press or reciting Morning or Evening Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer. Stretched for time, just recite the service of Compline from the Prayer Book each night before going to bed.
Remember to tell a few family members or friends and ask them to hold you spiritually accountable for succeeding in your resolution. A daily spiritual practice is the most important building block for a growing Christian. Weekly church attendance is vital, but daily spiritual exercise is necessary. It’s good for a healthy soul, and it’s never too late to make a spiritual resolution to transform your 2019 into something truly life changing!
The Rev. Marek P. Zabriskie is the Rector of Christ Church Greenwich
