How to Actually Change in the new year

Any New Year's resolutions in the room? Anyone already hitting reset because the resolution didn't make it 4 days? If you made a resolution AND if you broke it already, you are not alone.

Here's what I find fascinating: Approximately 40% of Americans will make some sort of resolution or life change or word of the year or whatever they choose to call it. And more than 40% of those who make resolutions will walk away from them before we turn the page on the calendar to February! A new year has a way of sneaking optimism into our lives, but most of us aren't even trying for a brand-new life…we're hoping for a slightly better version of the one we already have.

But here's the problem: if we're honest, many of us are chasing new outcomes by doing the same things. The same habits, the same assumptions, and the same fears keep showing up. We want change, but we're also committed to comfort.

What Jesus Teaches About Real Change

What if the reason change hasn't lasted isn't because you didn't try hard enough…but because you've been trying to fix something that actually needs to be replaced? This is exactly what Jesus addresses in Mark chapter 2, verses 21-22, where He's been upsetting many of the norms of the day and teaching people an entirely new way of living.

Jesus, who had been healing people and forgiving sins for less than a year at this point, gives us a practical example through two powerful illustrations:

Mark 2:21 (NLT) says, "Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before."

As he often does, Jesus teaches a profound spiritual lesson with a real-life illustration. In the ancient world, new cloth wasn't pre-shrunk. If you sewed new cloth onto an old garment and washed it, the new patch would shrink and actually make the tear worse.

But Jesus doesn't stop there. Mark 2:22 (NLT) continues: "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins."

Here's what I know about wineskins: Newly produced wine is generally still in the process of fermenting, which means it expands. And since it's going to expand, it needs to placed in something that will be flexible enough to expand with it. Old wineskins had already stretched as far as they could and became brittle and rigid over time.

The Point Jesus Is Making

Jesus' point is clear. The old and the new are incompatible. Or, maybe I could say it this way: Old keys can't unlock new doors.

I experienced this practically when my family recently moved. The whole process is such an adventure...and it all culminates with this: a new key! Here is the thing: I could have kept the key to my old house. It was already on my keyring. Keeping it would have been convenient and easy. But it never would have worked, would it? Why? Because Old keys can't unlock new doors.

A New Identity, Not Just Improvement

We feel this tension anytime we want a new outcome without changing how we live. Getting something new means becoming something new.

This is where 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) becomes crucial: "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

Notice what Paul doesn't say. He doesn't say the old life got cleaned up. He doesn't say it was improved or adjusted. He says the old life is gone. That means following Jesus isn't about becoming a better version of who you were. It's about living from a new identity altogether.

Where You Can Start Here

Maybe you're skeptical or unsure. Faith feels interesting, maybe even compelling, but you're not convinced it's true or safe yet. What Jesus is actually offering isn't losing yourself—it's freedom from the pressure to keep proving yourself, fixing yourself, or holding everything together on your own.

Perhaps you're ready to dip your toe in the water, but you keep reaching for old keys just in case. Old habits that feel familiar. Old ways of coping when stress hits. For you, stop pretending the old keys are working. That void you feel will never be filled by living your life on repeat.

Or maybe you've been walking with Jesus for years, but you've kept some old keys tucked away. Old identities that creep back in when life gets hard. Paul's reminder is for you too: The old life is gone. That means you don't have to keep living out of who you used to be.

Putting It Into Practice

Here's a practical challenge: The most recent research from Barna shows that the average adult who considers themselves a 'regular attender' at church comes, on average, 1.6x per month."One surefire way to get something new and different is to double down on your commitment to simply show up.

Instead of every 6 weeks, you make an effort to come 1x/month. Or if you are a 1x/month person, make it 2x/month. Why? Because you need this. At the very least, you'll be surrounded by people who want the best for you and are willing to offer prayer and support.

I'm not asking you to make a resolution that will be gone by the end of the month, but to make a decision that will impact your walk with Jesus for years, decades, even generations to come. Start here…and see what God might do!