A New Year’s Resolution That Lasts
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1952
“After the first few steps in the Christian life we realize that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God.”
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1952.
ALS is a terrible disease. It gradually robs you of your ability to move your muscles. As the disease progresses, a person loses the ability to walk, use their hands, talk and eventually breathe. In my career as a physical therapist, I have seen many patients suffer from ALS. The final year of the disease is the hardest because even though a person is losing all independence, the disease has no effect on their ability to think and to realize what is happening.
I knew a man several years ago who was diagnosed with ALS in his late 40’s. I watched him go from being a very athletic individual to being dependent on a power wheelchair in a matter of months. At first, he could maneuver the wheelchair using his hand to control the joystick. Before long, he had to rely on a head controller which would use his head movements to steer because he had lost all function in his hands. Eventually he became bedridden and passed away.
A few days after his death, I attended his funeral. I can’t recall every detail, but I remember having this incredible feeling of hope and inspiration during it. The deceased man had planned every detail of the service and sprinkled in his own bits of humor and insight throughout. Near the end of the funeral, a letter was read which the man had composed. Although I have no idea what his faith life had been like before he was stricken with the disease, he described how his faith had grown amidst his suffering. The letter was heartbreaking and at the same time amazing in its message of love for God and love for others. Clearly, this man was at peace with God and with himself when he died. As I was leaving the church, I heard someone near me say what everyone was thinking, “This funeral was life-changing.”
For many of us in attendance that day, we felt this deep call to conversion, to give our lives completely to God. We saw the trust this man had placed in God and the peace he experienced in one of life’s greatest of trials. It was a real wake up call to what was truly important.
It got me to thinking what it would be like to go through life with that kind of peace, hope, and love before being faced with some type of devastating suffering. Think of the incredible impact those gifts could have on my everyday life right now. It made perfect sense to me that if God is the source of all of those good things, then I need to seek him out now rather than wait. We often search for happiness everywhere but God. I think C.S. Lewis had it right when he said, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing,” And yet, God never forces himself or his gifts on us because love cannot be forced. It must be a choice. God loves us no matter what. And he gives us the choice of whether we will love him back. If we choose to love him back, it must be a total commitment because anything short of a total commitment is not love. A marriage where either party holds back a part of themselves is a marriage doomed to fail because it lacks trust. Trust is an essential element of love. Similarly, if we are to love God, we must trust him with every aspect of our lives.
So ultimately, it’s up to each of us to choose. You don’t have to wait until the end of your life to experience the peace and joy that God wants to give you. You just have to put your complete trust in him. Instead of making five New Year’s resolutions this year that you probably won’t keep, why not make just one? It can be right now, right this moment. Give God everything. Offer a simple prayer like this, “Jesus, I invite you into my heart and I accept you as my Savior and Lord of my life.” That could be your prayer at the start of each day. As you try to live that out, you will see the amazing impact it will have on your life and how peace and joy will grow in you.
Before I leave, I think it’s important to make a couple of points because giving ourselves completely to God is scary and just the concept drives a lot of people away. First, when I made my wedding vows to my wife Mollie, I knew at the time that I would make many mistakes during my marriage. I was aware that I still had a lot of growing up to do and that this growth would be a lifelong process. In the same way, God is not in any way expecting perfection when we give our lives to him. He knows that we will have trouble giving him everything and will fall many times along the way. He is not asking for perfection only a desire to follow him with our whole will and to pick ourselves up and run back to him when we fall. Second, it’s okay not to have a complete understanding of what is meant by giving yourself completely to God before you do it. The important thing is to take a leap of faith and do it. God will teach you along the way. I remember when Mollie and I became parents for the first time. We really had no idea what it would be like, but we were both committed to being the best parents we could be. That is all that is asked of us when we commit our lives to God.
(Perhaps, you’re not ready to make this kind of commitment yet. You have too many doubts or you’re suffering too much right now. Maybe, you could offer a simple prayer like this for your New Year’s resolution, “Lord, I’m not sure what to believe right now. If you’re there, help me to know you this year.”)
Up Next: If you’ve made the decision to give everything to God, how do you live that out in your normal, everyday life?
Resource: If you want an excellent book about finding God’s peace, consider getting a copy of Father Jacques Phillippe’s book Searching For and Maintaining Peace. It really helped me from being so hard on myself and to lower my overall level of stress and anxiety. Most importantly though, it helped increase my trust and love for God. It’s only 101 pages so it’s a quick and easy read.