Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

I wonder if you have made a resolution for the new year yet – or if you plan to at all? These tend to be of the self-improvement variety. Diet and exercise are popular, of course. We all know that the vast majority of New Year’s resolutions tend to fail relatively early in the year.

They tend to be predicated on assuming qualities of discipline or organization or the like that we have never evidenced up until now. Yet, somehow, because the calendar is clicking to a new year, we imagine that this will be the time that it sticks.

I wonder if this is because these so often address something “wrong” with us? A proven fact of human behavior is that we thrive when we emphasize our strengths – when we build on something that we do well or love. Yet, the resolution-industrial complex is built on the notion that this will be the year we do the thing that long experience tells us we are completely unlikely or have been unwilling to do.

This brings me to a relatively simple practice – not a resolution – that we might try. I am going to endeavor to give thanks each morning for something going well. It may be something that I have noticed God doing in my life, something that someone has done, something new happening, something I have long under-appreciated, or it may be any number of other things.

I think we could all use a dose of more gratitude in our lives. It is the thing that might unlock more generosity or commitment or determination. I don’t think that dwelling on what is going wrong or lacking in our lives that we must resolve to fix will produce any more results than it probably ever has. More failed resolutions don’t seem to be a path to enlightenment!

However, a daily dose of gratitude might help us see more clearly where God has done wonderful things in our lives and it might help us resolve to follow that movement of the Spirit with more joy and hope.

So, I am not making a resolution to be more grateful – but I am going to make it a part of my day – and that may lead to a resolve to follow that gratitude wherever it may lead.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Robert