According to a 2024 Pew Research study, health-related New Year’s resolutions are the most popular (79%), with finances (61%), personal relationships (57%), hobbies and interests (55%), and career (49%) rounding out the top five. There is nothing wrong with any of these resolutions. Recognizing that there is something lacking in our physical condition, our general well-being or our relationships reminds us that we are incomplete, fragile, and broken. 

While these resolutions relate to significant areas of life, they can also mask something deeper—a longing for completion and satisfaction only found in a right relationship with God. That longing for completion and satisfaction, Augustine suggests, encourages us to distinguish between things to be enjoyed and things to be used. Still, we need to pursue “not wrong” resolutions in the right way—which is to say that we pursue them in their proper order. In On Christian Doctrine, Augustine distinguishes between the things that are to be enjoyed and the things that are to be used. He notes, “to enjoy a thing is to rest with satisfaction in it for its own sake,” whereas “to use…is to employ whatever means are at one’s disposal to obtain what one desires.” 

So, how does Augustine’s distinction between enjoyment and use inform the way we think about New Year’s resolutions? How might such a distinction help us reorient our understanding of resolutions? In essence, we need to rethink resolutions by rooting them in discipleship. We need to allow them to emerge from our deep enjoyment of God rather than our dissatisfaction with the various aspects of our lives.

When Dissatisfaction Rules

There is nothing wrong with recognizing our own shortcomings. The problem comes when we allow our dissatisfaction with our “current state” to determine the way that we conceptualize our “desired state.” Having worked in the fitness industry before transitioning into ministry, I’ve seen how dissatisfaction can dominate people’s lives. What starts as an appropriate interest in health and fitness can become an obsession. People begin to chase an “ideal” look or level of performance that may be impossible to reach without sacrificing g other aspects of their lives. Obsession points to a deeper spiritual problem. When dissatisfaction becomes our rudder, it controls the direction of our lives.

Unfortunately, dissatisfaction is a taskmaster—it doesn’t let up. Once we lose that “last” five pounds, we decide we need to lose five more or that we need broader shoulders or bigger arms. Dissatisfaction doesn’t disappear—it shifts focus. One object of desire is traded for another, leaving us restless and unsatisfied. It can’t be eliminated. There will always be a reminder of dissatisfaction in this life. 

But aren’t we supposed to be dissatisfied with our current state? Aren’t we supposed to be waiting for a time when God will eliminate all sorry, pain, and death (Rev 21:4)? Yes, we should be looking forward to standing in God’s presence. Until that time, we are going to experience some level of dissatisfaction. However, we are also supposed to be finding contentment. 

While it’s true that we long for a future where God will wipe away all sorrow, pain, and death (Rev 21:4), Paul notes that he has learned to be content regardless of his circumstances (Phil 4:11-13). His satisfaction is not tied to his circumstances but to serving the Lord. His contentment comes as he reshapes his desires and ambitions to align with God’s purposes. As he models Christ’s humiliation (Phil 2:1-11), he finds satisfaction within the difficulties of this life. 

Contentment is not about eliminating desire and ambition. It is about reorienting our desires and ambitions by imitating Christ. It is the consequence of recognizing that we are to enjoy the Triune God. In Augustine’s terms, we “rest with satisfaction” in God for God’s sake. 

The problem isn’t that we feel dissatisfaction but that we allow that dissatisfaction to direct us away from the Triune God. We buy into the lie that satisfaction is available only when we overcome specific dissatisfactions. If we are having money trouble, we just need a little more money. If we are overweight, we just need to lose a few pounds. If we are lonely, we just need to find a friend. While these may be “good” things as far as they go, when they displace God as the object of our enjoyment, we will find ourselves in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction. Our various dissatisfactions will rule us. 

Resituating Resolutions

It might seem natural to create resolutions focused on areas of our lives where we feel dissatisfied, but this approach can actually trap us in a cycle of ongoing dissatisfaction. Resolutions are tools designed to help us make progress in some aspect of our lives. They are intended to help us grow past perceived shortcomings with our health, relationships, careers, or finances. “Progress” and “growth” imply direction—they assume that we know how to move forward. That assumption, however, can be part of the problem. 

Even resolutions that don’t seem to have a downside (e.g., decreasing your amount of alcohol consumption, quitting that smoking habit, getting more exercise, etc.) can become problematic if they become (poor) substitutes for a life rooted in God’s presence. Even “good things” can distract us from pursuing God. 

As such, our resolutions need to be “nested” in worship. “Nesting” is a concept developed by James Gibson. Essentially, nesting conveys the idea that smaller “units” are embedded in larger “units.” It isn’t a matter of priority (i.e., more important things and less important things) but about contextualization. Think of nesting like a set of Russian dolls: smaller pieces fitting into larger ones. Our smaller goals—health, finances, relationships—must fit into the larger framework of glorifying God. This isn’t about prioritizing God above all else but about contextualizing all of life with God as our reference point.

What Does it Mean to Say Our Resolutions Need to Be Nested in Worship?

First, it means that we acknowledge that worshipping the Triune God is what we are always supposed to be doing. Worship certainly involves activity, but we may also understand it as a way of life. As I note in podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Life Audio.