Our Blog

By: Pastor Peter Schlicht

This week I received an email from my home inspector with a list of 10 home improvement projects that should be done. When I got this email I almost deleted it without reading, because it told me there was so much to be done, and many of the tasks are things I don’t know how to do. It got me thinking about New Year’s resolutions and high hopes of so many people that crash and burn before February 1st. We often want to improve and pick an date, like a birthday or the new year, to start. But so often the goals are too many and many of the steps included are unknown. All these good intentions somehow result in latent guilt because we didn’t follow through.

My knee-jerk impulse to delete the home-improvement email is the short-circuiting of higher-level cognitive thinking that happens when people face major change. Dr. Robert Maurer, a professor of behavioral science at UCLA, says that no matter how well-intentioned the change, it triggers the fight or flight response seated in our brain’s amygdala. He’s found that it’s easier to get patients to change unhealthy parts of their lifestyle through small, incremental modifications than through wholesale changes. For example, he had one patient begin an exercise program by simply marching in place for one minute in front of the television, then two minutes, then three, etc. Having her sign up for a six-month Cross Fit class would have triggered the fight or flight response, but one minute of marching in front of the TV? It’s a small enough change that the amygdala didn’t take over from the frontal lobe.

So what are your goals for 2019? We are all at different stages of life and in different situations, but I know that your heart of faith yearns to grow closer to the Lord this year. This is a goal we all have as Christians no matter where we are at in life. As you think about how to get in more regular contact with the faith-growing means of grace, the Word of God and the sacraments, I suggest starting small.

Don’t promise yourself that you are going to read three chapters of Scripture every morning. Unless you’re in a regular habit of significant Bible reading, it is going to be difficult to maintain. Start small, perhaps plan to attend church one more week per month. If you’re already attending every week, what about adding in a Bible Class after church? Remember, these aren’t big goals, but they will be effective. Perhaps set a goal to do a devotion once a week on Saturday morning with your spouse or by yourself. As your pastor, I would love the chance to discuss a plan with you to get into the Bible. If you have any questions or would like suggestions how to start please contact me!

The amazing comfort you have is that growing faith is profoundly different than any other kind of self-improvement. The power of the Holy Spirit will grow your faith, despite yourself, when you are in contact with the Word and the regular reception of Holy Communion. You can control getting into your car and coming to church, or setting aside a little time to open the Bible at home, but he will enact the change in your heart. After all, the Spirit is the one who created your faith and gives you the ability to live to God’s glory.

I think we’d all agree that we’d like to have less stress and more peace, less anger and more patience, more joy and less pessimism, more kindness and less bitterness, more love and less hate. All of these desires are fruits of the Spirit and come with a strong faith. Pick a small goal to God’s glory so that he can grow your faith and produce more of the Spirit’s fruit in your life this year. Pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work in your heart. “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)