Creamer column: Planning for 2012

We have stepped over the threshold of 2012 and been greeted by a shot of cold air. The best thing about living in the South is that the cold air normally doesn’t last. The prediction for this winter is mild. I may get my peas and potatoes in by late March this year… Here I am already dreaming about the gardening season and we haven’t seen the first snowflake fly.

That’s something we all do at this time of year — think about the upcoming year. Many make resolutions in hopes of bringing change to their lives. We are planning to get ourselves to sleep earlier. The trouble with making changes is that old routines and bad habits tend to resurface and before you know it you are back to the same old things.

Here are two helpful keys to breaking bad habits. Stopping something cold turkey is hard for your body to accept, particularly if it is an addictive or pleasurable behavior. Instead of three pieces of candy, how about two, and finally, one. If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, try smoking two less for a while, then four and so on until you eliminate your body’s desire for them. What I am describing requires self-discipline, but it’s gradual and you build confidence as you progress toward changing the bad habit.

The second key is that you have to replace the bad habit with something good. Suppose you want to watch less TV. You are going to have to find something good to fill that time with or you will quickly return to more TV watching. Maybe you could read instead. There are so many good books out there and reading stimulates your imagination. Finding something good to replace the bad habit helps to reward yourself for the good change.

Some people choose to start an exercise program in January. That’s a good plan, especially after so many of us have over-indulged for the holidays. I would suggest that we all consider a spiritual exercise program. Our spirits have muscles that need to be strengthened. God’s plan for 2012 might be that we all do some spiritual muscle toning.

The first thing we need is the intake of good food. We need to read our Bibles. May I suggest that you not start in Genesis? I would begin in Matthew. Read about Jesus’ life and his words to you. When you finish that jump over to Acts and see what happened after Jesus left. Then keep reading the rest of the New Testament. God wants you to connect with him personally and the best way to do that is by reading about him in the Bible.

The next thing that can help you grow is to make an intimate connection with God. Intimacy can only be developed when you spend time with God. It is very important to pray and present your requests to God. He wants to hear you ask for what you need and to hear you lift others up in prayer. Beyond that, he wants you to tell him what is on your mind. He knows that sometimes things are not going well and you need to vent. He wants that kind of closeness with you.

Finally, you need to reach out to others. You need the fellowship of believers to encourage and challenge you to continue to grow. I know you will be around a bunch of imperfect people, because I am one of them. You need them and they need you. You also need to reach out to unbelievers. They need what you have and are discovering. You may not feel you can do it, but God can do it through you. He needs willing vessels like us to reach out to the world that is lost without mim.

Don’t try to change everything at once; take it step-by-step. Taking small steps can create huge changes over time. Let 2012 be the year that you develop good habits that will result in a closer walk with God.

Doug Creamer’s website is www.dougcreamer.com.

Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or email doug@dougcreamer.com