Sustainable Resolutions
Sustainable Resolutions
By Kim Loudon
Ah, January. A new year. A clean slate. A fresh start. A time to make lofty resolutions. Dream big. Aim high. Achieve the impossible.
WAIT! STOP! Before we get all crazy making unrealistic resolutions that become unsustainable by February, consider 3 ways we can deliberately refine our lives in ways that will bring eternal joy AND will actually be sustainable over time.
#1 Simplify.
Life is hard. Maybe, rather than amping up our daily to-do list with well-intentioned resolutions, we could focus on simplifying our to-do lists, instead?
I’m sure you have heard of Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. What if you could “tidy up” your busy schedule by “Marie Kondo-ing” the heck out of your daily distractions. What if you only kept the things on your to-do list that “sparked joy” eternally, and got rid of everything else? Ok, maybe we can’t get rid of EVERYTHING else, but we can prayerfully prioritize the rest.
Julie B. Beck once said,
“Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all.”
#2 PRIORITIZE
Dallin H. Oaks said,
“The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.
We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”
We simply cannot do it all at once, no matter how “good” it all is. I have found myself asking questions like: what can I get away with NOT doing today, so that I can carve out time for the things of eternal significance?
Start with the big picture in mind…the final goal….ETERNITY. What do you want your ETERNITY to look like? With Heavenly Father and Jesus? With your eternal companion? With each child? Now, work backwards. Prioritize the “best” things that you could do that day for each relationship to help you achieve your eternal desire…and when not all of the “good” fits in your schedule, NO FOMO allowed. You chose the better part!
#3 Rely on the Enabling Power of The Atonement
Chances are, even after simplifying, and prioritizing, you will STILL be in over your head. Here’s the best and most important piece of the puzzle.
David A. Bednar said,
“I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.
Individual willpower, personal determination and motivation, and effective planning and goal setting are necessary but ultimately insufficient to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly we must come to rely upon the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.
The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.”
We can call upon the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ to help us with our daily to-do lists. If we choose to ask for His divine help with our daily burdens, He will lend us His power…like daily Manna from Heaven….making us stronger than we are on our own…to get through each day’s requirements. And not just the spiritual ones.
One beautiful confirmation that came to me during the initial roll out of the new Children and Youth Program, was that Christ is not only interested in our spiritual growth. We were bestowed with talents, abilities, skills, and unique life missions long before we came to earth…that make us who we are. All growth is good growth…especially when we use our talents to build the kingdom. If we are interested in baking, He is interested in helping us become a better baker (or substitute in whatever righteous desire you you have). He WILL help us if we ask, through the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Simplify, prioritize, and include the Lord in your personal growth by praying for the enabling power of the Atonement! If you do so, there is no need to wait until January to begin a righteous resolution! There is never a reason to quit in February when you already think you failed. The atonement is there to help good men become better! Get back up! Keep trying! It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, it doesn’t matter how slow your pace is, as long as you are moving in the right direction, the Lord is pleased with you! He will sustain you and magnify your efforts.
“The Lord loves effort!”
~President Russell M. Nelson
