A New Year's Resolution with Purpose

" and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. " Col.3:10

Wrapped in snowman throws, hubby and I curled up to watch a 3D version of the movie "Hugo." Woven into the French tapestry and ambiance was an unexpected New Year's quote--a theme woven into the fabric of our human DNA. Purpose. We must have purpose.

Little Hugo, part urchin, part heart-tugging waif who keeps the clocks running in the train station utters the key phrase of the movie, "Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do... Maybe it's the same with people. If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken."

Right there in my living room, I sensed the Spirit dropping a chunk of wisdom into my New Year. Having a sense of purpose will direct our New Year and set our goals.

When we cannot see our purpose any longer, don't we feel broken? What happens to those who have lost their sense of purpose, as the filmmaker, George Melies, in this movie had? A business fails, a person loses their job, children grow up and leave the nest, a person's health prevents them from performing simple activities around their home that used to keep them going, or we retire. The list could go on.

The young Hugo Cabret had discovered the wisdom that comes from God:

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18 KJV

How can we make New Year's resolutions when we've lost our purpose?

1. Pray. Ask the one who knows the purpose and the plan for which He has created us. He is still with us and eager to show us His plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) even when we feel broken.

2. Start a new reading plan for chewing over Scripture--that gives us the exposure of knowing He who created our purpose and what He desires for our lives. I have heard of several persons starting new Bible reading plans for this year. I think it's time to freshen up my approach to Scripture.

3. Find some new devotionals that focus attention on particular subjects or ways to make it through trials or life changes. Good possibilities can be found online from either the "YouVersion" of the Bible or The NIV.

4. Check out blogs to see what others are reading for the New Year. I am using my favorite "Our Daily Bread;" "The Gift of Grace--100 Devotions for Women;" "Beloved Names of God;" and Charles Stanley's "God's Way--Day by Day."

5. Give thanks for something each day. I read in "Our Daily Bread" that January is the month set aside to give thanks each day. By the time we reach 31 days of finding reasons to express gratitude, we will have created a new and rewarding habit.

6. Look for places in an area that uses your talents and interests. A place where volunteers are needed and wanted. Enrich your life with the many gifts that come from giving of oneself. Make someone happy, as Jimmy Durante sings, and you will be happy, too. See Jennifer Dukes Lee's post and Holly Gerth's post--"Your Life Has a Purpose Always."

Gradually, we will discover that our lives still have purpose.