It’s still not too late to make a New Year’s resolution!  Here guest blogger Sean Miller describes his plan for 2014 — and beyond.

The Solution to Resolutions

Guest blogger Sean Miller

Many times when we’re really motivated to get something done we tend to overlook the very tools we need to accomplish our goal. And one of the most fundamental and obvious things that somehow gets lost in our enthusiasm is this: to remember to include God in our endeavors.

 I’ve made this mistake countless times — going forward with my own agenda without ever seeking direction from God. I felt that I had it all together, and perhaps I would talk to God about it at a later date … and that’s just what I end up doing, usually after things are falling apart in my hands.

 But in hindsight, it was clear that the heartache or difficulty I went through was caused by my own stubbornness. Eating “humble pie” is no fun, but the lesson surely leaves its mark on your soul. So I’ve resolved that from now on, instead of running off aimlessly with my own ideas, I’m going to include God before the adventure starts, so that it won’t turn out to be a disaster.

But how can I effectively do this on a daily basis? How can I make it work?

Commitment to a daily Holy Hour! That’s the answer for me.

For example, take my good friend, Ken. For years now he has spent countless hours in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. At some point, he made a conscious decision to give the Lord a “Holy Hour,” every single day.

In order to do this consistently, he picked a time of the day that worked best for him. And now, when 10 p.m. approaches, everything else stops for Ken. He enters the doors of the chapel, and from 10 to 11 p.m every night he spends that time being with the Lord in silent adoration.

He made this commitment 10 years ago. This resolution took time to master, and it involved some sacrifices. But now it is now second nature for him, and that hour belongs solely to the Lord.

Now, as we all know from our experience with New Year’s resolutions, there’s always the temptation to get discouraged too quickly and give up.

Even as I acknowledge the spiritual reality that strength comes from the Lord and that I will find it there in adoration of Him, I still have to deal with my lazy nature, which would often rather just relax with a cup of coffee or get some more sleep.

I know that, on my part, I need to take responsibility and commit to a realistic hour daily. If friends are expecting me for dinner, wouldn’t I make an effort to be there? Being a “no-show” would let them down.  The same should be true for Christ in adoration. He is our true friend and we want to treat Him as such.

Perhaps going to adoration with a cause in mind can give us even more motivation because it places responsibility on us. So why not go to adoration for the unborn? Why not pray for their protection? For their confused parents? Why not pray for the people that work in the abortion facility so that they may have a change of heart?

These unborn babies depend on me, and I have an obligation to be there for them. Similarly, I now have an obligation to console Our Lord for the sin of abortion. By increasing my time in adoration, I am able to decrease the senseless acts of abortion.

This idea of making a daily “Holy Hour” as a New Year’s resolution is very exciting to me for many reasons. It is a concrete act that simply requires me to get myself to the chapel at an hour of my own choosing. Once I am there the Lord will guide me, and I just need to allow myself to be “open” so that I can truly listen.

The benefits of adoration are endless. Through this devotion I hope to become a “chiseled instrument” for the Lord so that His Will may be done in my life.

By going to adoration I receive guidance, healing, and insight as the Lord reveals Himself to me. When we look at the unborn and Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament we see many similarities.They are both innocent, pure, defenseless, silent, and holy.

I believe all of these factors will be inspiring to us as we decide to commit to a daily “Holy Hour.”

Do it for yourself, for the unborn, for those that are despairing, for the sick, for the dying and, most of all, for the Lord.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was left alone to pray in His agony when His disciples fell asleep. As he once asked them, He is asking us now, “Could you not keep watch for One Hour with me?”

What will your answer be?

For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.