NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION - CLEAN UP THE MESS

“IT’S A MESS! -- the whole thing is a mess” or “We’re in a mess” or “Things got messy.”  How many times have we uttered those words to describe a myriad of situations and circumstances? How many times have we beseeched the Lord on bent knees, heads bowed --“Lord, if you just get me outta this mess, I promise, I’ll never do it (the mess) again?”

Webster’s Dictionary defines MESS thusly: 1) a dirty or untidy state of things or of a place: 2) a situation, or state of affairs that is confused or full of difficulties. Webster’s definition of “mess” aptly describes what we have been experiencing for decades: political unrest, social injustice, racial injustice, and rumors of war that have become reality. And we are still wrestling with the residual effects of a global pandemic, as well as the effects of climate change, etc. The “mess” list is long.

So, the question becomes, how do we clean up the mess? And more importantly, how do we clean up the mess without making more of a mess? It is not easy. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Nonetheless, we must try. As the first month of the year and the month of resolutions, January is a good place to start. Using January as the starting point, what can we do to clean up the mess? First, we must continue to pray for peace. God hears and answers prayers. We must pray individually and corporately for humanity. We must pray to end hatred and terrorism – foreign and domestic. We must pray and ask God to open our minds and learn to co-exist with others who are not from our “tribes.”  Second, we can resolve to do what we promised to do last year: eat healthier, exercise, spend wisely, etc. On a more personal level, we can resolve to declutter our lives, which may include ridding ourselves of certain (messy) relationships. The list of well-intentioned resolutions is also long.

Simply wanting to clean up the mess, however, is not enough. We need to find ways to implement our resolutions and stick to them. One way to do this is to share our resolutions with others. "When you keep resolutions a secret, no one is going to check up on you. You're only accountable to yourself,” says Joe Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago.  He also suggests having a Resolution Party. “Having a party to share your resolutions publicly is an admirable way to ring in the New Year.”

Add Marvin Gaye’s classic hit, “What’s Going On,” to the playlist for the guests at your Resolution Party. Marvin’s words not only lyrically lay bare the ills of the world, but they also offer solutions:

Mother, Mother

There's too many of you crying.

Brother, brother, brother.

There's far too many of you dying.

You know we've got to find a way.

To bring some lovin' here today, yeah

Father, Father, Father

We don't need to escalate.

You see, war is not the answer.

 For only love can conquer hate

You know we've got to find a way,

To bring some lovin' here today.

Picket lines and picket signs

Don't punish me with brutality.

Talk to me, so you can see,

Oh, what's going on!

The song was released in 1971. It’s 2024 (53 years later), and the mess is eerily similar: political unrest, social injustice, racial injustice, rumors of war that have become reality.  What’s going on and what are we going to do about what’s going on?

Resolution for 2024: CLEAN UP THE MESS!

Another resolution: STAY WOKE & VOTE!

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.  Romans 15:5 ESV

“WHAT’S GOING ON” WAS WRITTEN BY SONGWRITERS MARVIN GAYE, RENALDO BENSON, AND ALFRED CLEVELAND. ONLY THE FIRST THREE VERSES ARE PRINTED ABOVE. CLICK TO VIEW THE ENTIRE SONG.