If you are like most, you’ve probably drifted away from your New Year resolutions. That goal to read through the Bible this year has gone to the wayside. And that goal to get your finances in order hasn’t materialized.

And it bums you out to think about it.

But there is good news—you still have a lot of year left in 2017. You still have time God has given you to steward well this year. So before you give up on yourself, consider making a few half-year resolutions.

Here are five reasons you need to make your half-year resolutions:

1. You need to adjust old goals. You may be behind on your New Year’s resolutions, or you may have realized that they simply are not feasible. You can either make a commitment to increase your effort over the last part of this year, or adjust your goals to make them more feasible.


2. You need to find new goals. Maybe you have already reached your goals. Or maybe you have totally lost the desire for your old goals. Now is a great time to start afresh with a few new resolutions.


3. You need motivation. Why are New Year’s resolutions so popular? Because they are motivating. Half-year resolutions can provide the same energy and excitement. Get excited about accomplishing something big with this part of 2017.


4. You still have time to accomplish something big before 2018. You still have plenty of days in 2017 to do something significant this year. You have plenty of days to get your finances in order, lose weight, or even read through the entire Bible. Don’t give up on 2017 just yet.


5. You don’t need to waste the latter part of 2017. There is an old Chinese saying that states, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” The point is simple—sure, it is always better to have invested time and energy into something worth doing earlier, but you can still start today.

You know that there are areas in your life where you need to change or things that you need to accomplish. Stop dwelling on what could have been and focus on today.

It’s too early to give up. God has given you this time steward well. Take a few moments and consider what you need to pursue from now until the end of the year.

Make a few half-year resolutions. Your fresh start begins today.

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Written by Art Rainer, member of the Summit Stewardship and Generosity Ministry Leadership Team.

The Summit offers a variety of stewardship classes to help equip you to become a faithful steward.

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