The best time to have a gym for a business has got to be the start of the year. If you don't know why, then you've probably never heard of New Year's resolutions (or maybe you've been hiding under a rock forever).
One of the most common resolutions every time a new year comes is to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Gym memberships usually rise at the start of the year. But come middle of February or early March, the memberships start to thin out.
Change has got to be the most powerful subject matter come every New Year. We change our calendars and often even change habits and direction. Some of these habits go away but some others stay.
There's always an excitement that follows the start of a New Year that makes us want to change. But one thing we must remember, however, is that New Year doesn't have to be the only time that we plan for change.
We view a fresh start to be a great catalyst for transformation and hope that it lasts. But the freshest of starts doesn't come when we approach a new year. It comes when we approach God and allow Him to work in us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
The one most powerful catalyst to change will forever be the grace of God. According to Titus 2:11-12, it's the grace that appears to us all and brings salvation and the power to change and live godly lives. That being said, change is not time bound. We can and should become a better person than we are today any day of the year, not just January first.
But just like people who enthusiastically go to gyms only to lose interest later in the year, we can also too often find ourselves struggling to keep up with change and to maintain that transformative work.
The reason why so many people fail to experience change is because they rely too much on their own strength to change. We're all guilty of this. Sometimes, we would rather rely on our own discipline, our own drive, our own capacity or our own strength. Sometimes it works, but many times it doesn't.
The only true power to keep up with change is through the work of the Holy Spirit that comes through Christ. He can give us a power unlike we've ever experienced to progress as individuals in any and every area of life is we simply put our trust in Him. The wonderful thing about that power is that it comes anytime of the year, not just on January first.
Is there an area in your life you want to change now? Do you foresee yourself creating resolutions and goals that just won't last? Make a resolve to trust in God's timing and power as you set those goals today and I guarantee that you'll see much better results come the end of 2017.
