New Year's Resolutions

“A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."

Resolution (Noun): [res-o-lu-tion]

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.
2. A course of action determined or decided on.
3. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the US Congress.  (American Heritage Dictionary)

For most of my life I have been fascinated by word meanings and word origins. I love word game puzzles and etymology has always been interesting to me (etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time). I have even been known to read the dictionary from time to time. I think this goes with the territory when you are a Pastor because any good sermon preparation will involve the study of key words in the text you are expositing.

I say all that to point out that the word "resolution" has a fascinating history and has actually changed its meaning over time. The English word "resolution" comes from the Latin word resolvere which originally meant to "loosen" or "untie" or "break into parts" (like you do when you tackle a math problem). This makes sense when you think about the root word in resolution or resolvere i.e. solvere or "solve". From this root word we get other English words solution, dissolve, and absolution. You can see how all of these words have in them the same idea of unbinding or loosening or breaking-up. By adding the prefix re (with the meaning of "again") in front of the root solvere the Romans simply intensified the word. In this case it gave the word the meaning of loosening or unbinding "again and again." The word did not come to mean “firm determination” until the early 1500s and it wasn’t until the early 1600s that it was used to indicate a “decision or expression of a meeting”.

So the irony here is that the word "resolution" originally meant "to intensify the act of unbinding or loosening", while it now means the exact opposite.

I have never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I generally just skip the whole ritual. This year would be no different except that a friend recently asked me for a list of resolutions I was planning to make. It seems she was seriously contemplating a few for her life and wanted to know mine. Her pointed question served as a challenge to me to think about what I wanted to see happen in my life in 2011. So, in honor of the original definition of the word I have decided to think aspirationally and develop ways to break up my life into its various parts in order to make it more simpler and looser, less stressful and more enjoyable. In 2011, I will aspire:

Spiritually, to get back to the basics and focus on my "walk" with God; physically, to take care of my body by eating healthy and exercising regularly; parentally, to enjoy every moment of time I have with my children and grandchildren and to be a loving godly example to them; relationally, to be the best person I can be and to be a true servant to my friends, co-workers and neighbors; vocationally, to be as productive and as effecient as possible while gaining the appropriate purpose and satisfaction for a job well done...and to be thankful for the fact that I have a job; financially, to be a good steward of what God has blessed me with and in turn share what I have with those that have real needs; socially, to make a difference in my community and help make our world a better place; romantically, to find my soulmate and to begin a loving, passionate, mutually fulfilling relationship with her...and educationally, to complete my Masters degree!!!!

What about you? What will you aspire to in 2011?

Talk to you soon,

Jim