The Salty Peanut Gallery

Every New Year’s Eve millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. USA.gov has come up with a list of Popular New Year’s Resolutions. Here are some of the things that Americans will resolve to do in 2008:

* Lose Weight
* Pay Off Debt
* Save Money
* Get a Better Job
* Get Fit
* Eat Right
* Get a Better Education
* Drink Less
* Quit Smoking
* Reduce Stress

Unfortunately, this yearly ritual has come to be viewed by some as a bit of a joke mainly because most New Year’s resolutions turn out to be fruitless. Many charge out of the gates spurred by good intentions, but fade down the stretch losing their resolve. As a result some believe that New Year’s resolutions are a waist of time and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Making New Year’s resolutions doesn’t have to be an exercise in futility, however. When you think about it, it’s really a matter of priorities. King Solomon put it this way:

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10).

I have a good friend that sums it up this way: “Love God and eat pizza.” For about four years now I’ve been embroiled in what has been the most difficult crisis of my entire life. Only recently has the crisis sufficiently subsided allowing life to return to some degree of normalcy. The problem for me now is in remembering just what it’s like to live a normal life again. After devoting so much time and effort into managing a crisis, who could have imagined how challenging it would be to resume life after the crisis? That’s where the wisdom of Solomon comes in.

So here’s my New Year’s resolution for 2008: Enjoy the life that God has given me and serve God with all my heart. That’s it. Now I’m not talking about hedonism. But what I am talking about is making the most of every opportunity that God gives me to truly live. Carpe diem, baby! Love God and eat pizza!