A Resolution Worth Keeping

I prepare my Sunday sermons. Honestly! I spend time organizing my thoughts, gathering references and researching different views. Still, I think sometimes the most insightful and always entertaining part of the service is the five minutes of improvisation we call, “The Children’s Chat.” It is a brief time in which I engage the youngest members of our congregation in a little dialog. The conversation depends on who is present on any given Sunday and you can never predict how the topic will unfold.

One of my favorite participants in Children’s Chat is a young man about 7 years old. Adults will weigh him down with labels but he springs into church with a smile that lights up the face beneath his unruly red hair. He knows exactly where the Chat comes in the order of service and he bounds down the aisle as a reminder to the Platform people to introduce it. He can be awkward and avoids your eye contact but he has a ready answer to most any question. I have learned to keep the microphone firmly in my hand! 

On New Year’s Day we spoke about the year before us and what we’d like to see.  He thought for a moment and then looked up expectantly. “I am waiting for some FUN stuff to happen this year!” he exclaimed. I had to admit this was a resolution worth adopting. The congregation laughed and we all affirmed that this year, we would be expecting FUN stuff to happen. 

He not only wanted fun stuff, he was waiting and expecting fun stuff. It has made me think about what we usually expect and where we tend to keep our thoughts.  In Phillipians 4:8 (NRSV), we can read, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” As we move into this election year, it may be a challenge to focus on excellence and that which is honorable and commendable.  Yet it is all around us. We forget to expect it and we forget to notice it and we forget to acknowledge it. The more we notice the good and give thanks, the more there is to be grateful for. People are friendlier when you are smiling. The day goes faster when we are supporting and praising one another’s good work. Each one of us has the power to be the one pebble of peace tossed into our work environment, rippling out to create greater harmony. No matter what happens around us, we still get to choose where we focus our attention and thoughts.

Most resolutions begin to gather dust in the corners of the mind by the end of January. I find this resolution the one I am still able to adhere to. I am looking for the good and waiting for the FUN stuff to happen.