Why I'm Throwing Away My Christmas Cookies

Ahhh, the new year. That big, glowing, sparkly ball dropped in Times Square and all over the world people decided to make a change in their life (at least for a few weeks). Now, I don't usually make resolutions, in fact I would usually tell you that I don't really believe in them. I don't think the new year is a time to make change, I think every day is. I think it's silly that people wait for another year to pass before deciding to lose weight or start a new hobby...why not start today? The list of things people make resolutions about goes on and on. The Journal of Clinical Psychology at the University of Scranton reported last year that the top ten New Year's resolutions were the following:

1. Lose Weight

2. Getting Organized

3. Spend Less, Save More

4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest

5. Staying Fit and Healthy

6. Learn Something Exciting

7. Quit Smoking

8. Help Others in Their Dreams

9. Fall in Love

10. Spend More Time with Family

I must admit, there are some pretty great parts of the list. However, I can't help but notice one thing: there's no mention of any kind of religious resolution in the top ten. Of the estimated 242,470,820 adults living in the United States, 40% make a New Year's resolution and 87% report being religious. That means almost 97 million people in the United States alone are making resolutions every year. How is it then, that out of all those people, the majority of which are religious, religion doesn't even make the top ten? 

Because we are distracted by Earthly things. It is that simple. I'm betting most of those 87% of people, most of you, didn't even consider making a resolution with regards to your faith. We let the things of this world, including the media, friends, family, and food distract us from Him. We make excuses like, "I'll pray later" and "Well, I'm doing something for someone else so God won't mind" or "I just don't have time to read my bible/go to church/pray/go to youth group". 

When we focus on the things of Earth that fill us up, we forget to turn to the other important aspects of life. We have to stop letting the world feed us and find sustenance in the Lord. Fasting helps us to shed the things in our lives that seek to enslave us, the things that distract us and eat away at our time. When we don't think about our physical body and finding pleasures for it, we can focus on our spiritual body. 

And so, I have decided that for the next 21 days I will be doing one type of fast. Known as a soul fast, it is a partial fast, meaning I won't be giving up all foods. Instead I will focusing on getting rid of things that distract my soul from what I really need to be letting it reach for: Jesus. Here is a partial list of everything I will be giving up (in no particular order): 

1. Social Media

2. Diet: sweets, soda, fried food, red meat, chips

3. Netflix

4. Long Showers

5. Texting/Snapchat

6. Apps*

7. Non-Christian Music*

8. Elevators

9. Complaining

10. Swaps

*Unless mandatory due to school

I am really going to use this time to try to strengthen my relationship with the Lord. I would like to encourage you to do the same. 

We should be focusing on creating a beautiful, perfect, amazing relationship with the One who will love us forever and always, no matter the number on the scale, the number of things we do for others or the number of dollars we have. God, someone who watches our every move, carries us when we are too weak to stand and loves us unconditionally, does not deserve to be shoved to the side because of a deliciously sweet cookie or the need to post a picture of your cute new puppy on Instagram.  

So, it's time to turn off your phone, throw away those Christmas cookies, and turn to more important things, such as someone who has been waiting, since before you were born, to have a divine relationship with you.