I’ve never really been the kind of person that makes New Year’s resolutions. I’m convinced it’s because I’m a perfectionist, and I know that I won’t keep my resolutions perfectly. Perhaps you can relate. According to U.S. News & World Report, eighty percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.^[1] We can resolve to eat better, exercise regularly, or be the best mom, wife, or student possible, but what is the point? The odds are that we’ll fail within two months, leaving us more empty and exhausted than we were before. We’re attempting to chase perfection, yet it seems like we’re destined to fall short.

In Alisha Illian’s book Chasing Perfect, she reminds us that we are not perfect and that nothing we can do will ever be enough for us to achieve this perfection that we seek. Instead of pursuing resolutions, she encourages her readers to chase after something, or rather Someone, who is truly perfect-

“God has a purpose for each of us, and the satisfaction we seek isn’t found in retail therapy, self-help, and hustle… Instead of chasing after all the supposedly perfect things in the world, we can start by chasing after the real Perfect – our Savior, Jesus Christ.”^[2]

Alisha writes that we can start chasing after Perfect by first giving Jesus our attentions and making Him our number one priority. We must create space in our busy lives for Him, to be in God’s Word, to pray, and to worship Him. We need to embrace our identity as daughters of the King and fight our fears and anxieties with His truth. We should spend our time loving God and others and being authentic and vulnerable within our Christian community. We must depend on Him, trust Him, and rest in Him.

“You can eat all the kale, buy all the things, lift all the weights, take all the trips, trash all that doesn’t spark joy, wash your face and hustle like mad, but if you don’t rest your soul in Jesus, you’ll never find peace and purpose.”^[3]

While exercising for thirty minutes a day, saving money, starting a diet, or losing ten pounds are not bad resolutions to have whatsoever, we will never be perfect, and it is highly possible that we will not achieve our goals. This can leave us feeling exhausted and depressed. No matter how hard we try, we will never achieve perfection. But if we choose to rest in Christ, we will experience true peace and possess a better purpose.

Instead of making a typical New Year’s Resolution this year, I encourage you to resolve to chase after God in 2021. Resolve to pray often and read your Bible every day, even on the days you don’t feel like it. Resolve to fight against anxiety and trust God no matter what happens. Resolve to love the people around you, including the people who don’t love you back. And if you need help figuring out exactly how to do this, go pick up Alisha’s book Chasing Perfect.

^[1] Joseph Luciani, “Why 80 Percent of New Year’s Resolutions Fail,” U.S. News & World Report, last updated December 29, 2015, accessed November 7, 2020, https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail.

^[2] Alisha Illian, Chasing Perfect: Peace and Purpose in the Exhausting Pursuit of Something Better (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2020), 11, 24.

^[3] Ibid., 15.