What's It For?

It’s that time again. Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to 2017 and welcome 2018. It’s the time of year when many of us look back on the year that has just past and make resolutions for the year ahead.

Merriam-Webster defines ‘resolution’ as “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” In music terminology, a resolution is a progression of a dissonant chord to a consonant chord; dissonance is considered to be unstable as compared to the stability of a consonant chord.

As you review 2017 and look toward a new year, is there a situation in your life that you will make a firm decision to change in 2018? Do you plan to make what seems dissonant and unstable in your life more harmonious and stable?

When I think of resolutions I have made in the past, I recall things like losing weight, quitting smoking (I did quit in 1999), finding a new job, making more money, saving more money, etc. I may have resolved at the turn of the calendar to do those things, but rarely did I remember them by the time spring came around.

I now recognize that all of those resolutions were simply means to an end, most often an end that I was not consciously aware of. The things that I resolved to do, or to change were merely strategies to achieve something much deeper and more meaningful.

I have come to realize that it is essential, when making resolutions or setting intentions, to consciously connect with the deeper desire we hope to fulfill by making those changes in our lives. It is important to ask ourselves, “Why?” Why do I want a to lose weight? Why do I want to make changes in my diet or lifestyle? Why do I want a new job?

A Course In Miracles says, “The first thing to consider, very simply is “What do I want to come of this? What is it for?” 

It’s important to consider the bigger picture. My resolutions to lose weight or quit smoking may have been my response to a deep desire for physical well-being. My desire for freedom may have been reflected in the resolutions to have more money, either by making more or committing more to savings.

When we recognize the bigger picture, we have a greater perspective from which to measure our success, and we begin to recognize a wider spectrum of possible strategies. There are many other means to achieving freedom than accumulating more money (which often doesn’t bring about that result at all). Quitting smoking and losing weight are not the only paths to physical well-being; however, most would agree, observing the science we now know, that these choices will most likely be beneficial.

Knowing the greater intention gives us a barometer by which to gauge every commitment to action we make. Once the deeper desire is clear, another question we can ask ourselves is, “How does this assist me in fulfilling my desire?”

There is nothing magical about turning the page on a calendar, or more likely swiping the screen on our mobile device, but there is something powerful about honoring our desires and making resolutions to fulfill those desires. It is not necessary to choose each strategy at the outset. It is more beneficial to observe and assess whether each strategy we choose along the way is helping or hindering the realization of our deeper desires.

I invite you to join us on Sunday, December 31, at our 10:00 AM service as we take the opportunity to release what no longer serves us, and embrace that which helps us bring more harmony, love, peace and well-being into our lives. We will have our “Burning Bowl” ceremony during the service.

Happy, Health, Joyous, Prosperous New Year!

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU

I have a Special Holiday Offer for you.

Subscribe to my email list by January 1, 2018 and receive a FREE download of my book, In This Moment - Prayers From the Well of Awareness. 

From the cover -

In This Moment: Prayers from the Well of Awareness is a key to a vibrant world of prayer, one sought and experienced by mystics throughout the ages and still revolutionary and transforming today. As these prayers lead you into the sacred space within, each cell in your body will resonate, "Yes, I'm home!"

You will find no beseeching here, no longing for a faraway God, or even a God buried somewhere deep inside you. "These are not words spoken to", author David Howard explains, "but words spoken of Presence."

Are you ready to discover the Divine as Presence - your Presence? Open this volume of prayers and discover that you are what you are seeking.

I am excited about the inspirations I have received for what is in store for 2018. I would love to share them with you as they unfold.

I will be making available to you special content on my website including weekly posts, podcasts, music and more.

Please go to my website, DavidHoward.com to subscribe so that you won't miss a thing.

Love and blessings,
David