Last January, I read an article in our local paper about New Year’s resolutions and the author was posing a unique perspective on the difference between resolutions and opportunities. She wrote, “As one ponders New Year’s resolutions, one might conclude that new resolutions should be given less priority and more attention should be given to new opportunities. Despite the word ‘new,’ new resolutions are often based on what we already know and have a past focus that may or may not change in the future. New opportunities, on the other hand, have a forward focus and are guaranteed to be new because they are yet to be revealed. Opportunities have an element of surprise.”
This has applications for our Lenten disciplines as well. Instead of thinking about what we are “giving up,” there is an opportunity to do more or something we’ve never done before. Opportunities are revealed by God and stem from the newness granted in Christ. Just as spring is a time of renewal for our environment, so should this Lenten season offer an opportunity to reach for something deeper and transformational. So, I am setting aside those resolutions that reflect what I already know and where I’ve already been… and instead looking for where I might grow if I seize on opportunity!
This is taken from “Is it too late to revise my resolutions?” a blog post written by Jennifer Michael that was published on the Women of the ELCA blog on March 15, 2012.