Letter from Wendy Gourlay

How realistic are New Year Resolutions?

In fits of enthusiasm, all of us make resolutions that we know could improve our state of being. The trouble is, once acknowledged, they can be jolly difficult or even nigh on impossible to keep! We're all human, after all, made vulnerable by our weaknesses. One of my past gifts, a CD entitled Road to the City - 'A Pilgrim's Journey' encapsulates an honesty about human nature. Adrian Plass writes:-

"Once I've cleaned this house up properly
I honestly think I'll get somewhere

Once I've pulled out every single piece of furniture

and used an abrasive cloth with strong stuff on it,

I think I shall come to grips with the rest of my life.

Once I've put everything into separate piles,

each containing

the same sort of thing (if you know what I mean)

I'll think I'll manage

Once I've written a list that includes absolutely everything,

I think the whole business will seem very much clearer.

Once I've had time to work slowly from one item to another,

I'm sure things will change.

Once I've eaten sensibly for a week and a half,

Once I've sorted out the things that are my fault,

Once I've sorted out the things that are not my fault,

Once I've spent a little more time reading useful books,

Being with people I like, going to pottery classes,

getting out into the air,

Making bread, drinking less, drinking more,

Going to the theatre, adopting a third world child,

Eating free range eggs and writing long letters,

Once I've pulled every single piece of furniture right out

And cleaned this house up properly

Once I've become somebody else...I honestly think I'll get

somewhere

Truth can be humorous at the same time as cutting straight to the bone. I can identify with these aspirations each time I listen to the track, not simply at New Year! So, what is it we really seek when setting new standards for ourselves? At the heart, are we not looking for conversion - a transformation - to be, in some way, 'better'? For some, Twelfth Night will entail a 'literal' cleaning up, packing away of gifts and paraphernalia from the Christmas season. Buried for another year!

But, if our 'Christ birth' celebrations have stirred our consciences, perhaps we have unwittingly encountered the Spirit of God. For a real encounter with God always brings

a) a greater awareness of our shortcomings

b) an acknowledgement of our own inadequacy

c) a new humility and hunger for more of God.

Conversion begins with turning. And yes, to turn, whether towards or away, always creates challenge. But a principal lesson of the Kingdom of God is that God breaks in at weak places. Once there, He strengthens, heals and redeems lives. The power of God is most realised at the point of our vulnerability, our risk-taking and our letting go.

Don't pack away God's new year gift to you, or wait unrealistically until "once I've." Let the heart of the gospel continue its transformation. May we be scolded and moulded by the one who knows us as we are, yet still loves us. The one who offers in reality, opportunity to achieve lasting reform. Resolve to invite God in to the 'vulnerable' areas of our lives.

"Come, Holy Spirit, by your grace transform.......through Jesus Christ. Amen."

Wendy Gourlay