Relationship Resolution

By Christina Puntigam

Once, my professor came into class with a cup of coffee.  He told us that he had given up coffee many years ago and that we wouldn’t believe the number of times that he had said no to a cup.  That interaction gave me a completely new understanding of resolutions.  
It is a common thought that resolutions are to either get something into your life that is currently missing or get something out that shouldn’t be there in the first place.  This philosophy taught me that it’s not about the resolution, but the relationship.

When Jesus was asked about the law, there were lots of laws to choose from.  The society had taken the Ten Commandments and placed them into a book known as the Talmud.  This book contained laws that covered every aspect of community.  Jesus took all of those laws, in addition to the Bible and the society and came up with one simple response, “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Anyone that has ever experienced love can tell you that it cannot be captured in a scientific equation.  It is not girl + boy = love.  It is so much more.  There are so many singular events that play into the equation, that it is unique each and every time.  And if there is no equation, then there is no law, instead it is a relationship.  Christ summed up the laws in relationship.  Our resolutions aren’t about producing a definite end goal; they should be about our relationship with our Creator, our neighbors and our selves.  

This year as the clock turns back to the beginning again, think about your resolutions in terms of relationship instead of law.

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