New Years Resolutions: How to Be More and Do Less

Hey, BAEs! Happy New Year! 

January always gets me thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. What do I want to accomplish in the year ahead? Lose weight, learn a new language, travel to a new place? 

These are all GREAT resolutions to have, but perhaps this year we can shift our focus from what we want to do to who God wants us to become. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (ESV) 

Why should we be rather than do? 

At the end of the day, there’s only so much we can actually control. The rest is in God’s hands. And more times than not, there’s this impending pressure that “it’s all up to us”. Yes, we are here for a purpose and we are called to faithfully steward what God gives us, but we often take on waaaaay more than we’re meant to. This is why we find ourselves being burnt out and overwhelmed .

But when we focus on “being”, it allows God to take His rightful place. We are no longer in a rush to meet the goals we set, but we position ourselves to open our minds to readily accept whatever situation, person, decision comes our way and seek Him in the process.  

Being breaks the bonds of expectation and leaves us expectant hearts. 

Being opens our eyes to fall in love with the moment to moment with God. 

Being allows us to be molded by the process rather than lost in the fire of our pursuits. 

How do I do less and become more? 

Abide in Jesus. The Greek translation of abide comes out to meno, which is a word which also translates to stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy. 

When you are doing less, and becoming more, you slow your roll and stay in the presence of God. This doesn’t mean you spend your days up on a mountain, praying to Him. No this means that in the steps of your day, you welcome him. You give him his rightful place in your heart and seek him out in the beginning and end of all that you do. 

Perhaps this practice can start with a quiet time. A time where you do actually go “away” to your room and spend time with Him. Then expand this time to infiltrate the day to day moments. At a stop light, give Him a little moment to talk. Maybe even on the drive to school, work, or the grocery store. 

As you plan out your goals for the year ahead, I hope you also take your time to welcome God into the question of who He is asking you to become. 

Cheers and happy new years to all of you, BAE’s! 

xx, 

Jo