How many of us tried the New Year resolutions this year? Who has already given up? If you didn’t do a resolution this year, I bet you have tried in the past at some point! So what happened? Even if you did persevere were you disappointed that your life was not turned around as you had hoped? Isn’t it all a bit quick and shallow? There is a new book out on Amazon called “ 52 Small Changes in One Year to a Happier Healthier You”. Books like this make it all sound so easy. Can we really believe it’s that simple to get to the happier and fulfilled you? We may think, ‘yes great’, but if we are honest we know deep down there must be deeper things in our lives that need examining. Isn’t it true that most of what we worry about, how we look and feel, our status in the world, are surface things and symptoms of bigger problems on the inside? What if we were to get to grips with inside stuff, attitudes and heart issues and the outside stuff no longer mattered, what people thought of us, how we looked etc.?
But change, is tough and challenging; most, if not all of us, would sooner put it off and make no decision or a different one to the one we know we should make. Human decision-making has been studied and it was found that decisions were often illogical and based on prejudice, oversimplification and insufficient information.
I was up early this morning and when I came downstairs in my pyjamas my dog Oscar was very bouncy and wanted to play. It was very cold outside so I let him out the back door and he rushed off, then stopped and turned around, looking so forlorn and sad when he realised I was not following. Oscar stood for ages in desperate hope I would come out. He wanted attention and love so bad. They say that a lot of what we do looking to get that attention, to feel good, to fill that hole inside. Someone once said that all of us have a God shaped hole trying to fill. What if the things we do this year are trying to do that?
Our choices make such a difference. In history there are many examples of choices having significant consequences:
1) Consider the Second World War- one of the reasons that historians say that that Germany did not win the 2WW was because it only built 12 submarines at the start of the war. Before the war their experts said they needed at least 300 submarines to win but Hitler and others ignored that advice. Instead of subs the High Command built big ships instead (It was not until near the end of the war that the Germans had 300+ submarines operating and by then it was too late). Because of that mistake the Allies able to keep supplies coming in by ship.
2) Another decision that made a difference: in 1907 a businessman called Arthur Scott had a big paper shipment returned by a customer who complained the paper was too hard and crinkly. Arthur could have got into a strop and thrown the paper out or took legal action, but instead he thought of another use for it. He cut it into strips and made first paper towels, which sold like hot cakes.
3) Some decisions are a mystery. Perhaps you are a Spiderman fan? Well, so far there have been three Spiderman films made so far and if that’s not enough they are going to make another one this summer! The latest film will have a different lead actor for Peter Parker, a guy called Andrew Garfield. Will it make money? Only time will tell!
Ever wondered about the decisions you’ve made and wished you could relive that choice over again?
In the film Sliding Doors, made in 1998 a woman makes a simple choice but what would have happened if she had chosen different? Here is a woman and her relationships shown from two alternative histories. In one she catches out her boyfriend cheating on her, in the other she does not. In one she finds love but is killed, in the other she is let down by love but may find true love but we never find out. It all turned on whether she caught a tube train or not- went through those sliding doors. Some decisions are so simple but they last for an eternity.
The key turning point for me in my life, my ‘sliding doors’, was the time I went to hear a speaker and a sentence from the Bible, something Jesus said stuck on my head. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” I realised I wanted to open the door to Christ, to trust he means good to me. I had been trying hard to change myself but that had not worked, outside changes are OK but what if I let him inside to change me? Is it God’s job to change us from the inside out and not all down to our efforts? What if I forgot the usual shallow resolutions, and looked deeper, for a purpose, to really trust God; open the door and ask what would he want for me? Eventually, I made that choice for God and I can’t imagine what my life would have looked like if I had chosen differently. God has made such a positive difference, giving me hope and purpose and bringing out the best. If you are someone who feels they want more from life, to find out about the love God has for you and who Christ is, check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hopenews and web site www.hopeonthestreet.org.uk. Lets talk. No pressure, we want to help if we can.
Starting Soon 
