Jonathan Edwards: Self Esteem Crusher

Just when you've made your New Year's resolutions and are feeling pretty good about yourself, Jonathan Edwards comes along and makes you feel like crud.

For example, compare one of my recent resolutions to one of Edwards':

Jenny: "Plan a monthly social event for all my friends."

Edwards: "Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it."

See what I mean? Edwards wrote seventy resolutions between 1722 and 1723 and they're inspiring, practical, and warrant frequent review. They're also extraordinarily humbling when you consider that Edwards wrote them between the ages of 19 and 20. I mean, it took me until I was 25 to come up with "eat five fruits and vegetables a day."

If you'd like some help forming your list of New Year's resolutions, you can check out Edwards' at http://www.reformed.org/documents/Edwards/index.html
Here are a few that particularly resonated with me.

Resolution #5: Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolution #8: Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

Resolution #17: Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

Resolution #25: Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

Resolution #54: Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it.

Resolution #57: Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin.

Happy New Year!