The Best New Year's Resolution.

I was thinking today, while sweating away in the gym, about New Year's resolutions. This is the time of year when folks are encouraged to buy that workout device, available for six easy payments of $19.95, plus shipping and handling (in other words, an extra $25 just for fun). Or perhaps you will start a new diet, or decide to read that book or write that memoir. I began a regular exercise routine when I graduated from divinity school, but it was not a new year's resolution. I just thought I should work to remain fit, and believe me, it gets harder each year, and the results are never what I hope for, but I keep on keeping on. For better or worse, this is the body God, and my mom, gave to me, so I need to take care of it. But what about taking care of one another, is that ever a resolution for us? So, as I was peddling furiously and going nowhere in the gym this morning, I thought of the best resolution of all. Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment. He gave a two-for-one answer: "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and mind and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself." It seems to me that no new year's resolution can improve on that. If we would just incorporate this simple, yet difficult commandment into our personal and corporate lives, imagine what the results might be. From the kitchen table, to the workplace, to the halls of Congress, perhaps folks might behave in a more civil manner. Happy New Year!