“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
– Hebrews 10:23 ESV
Wishy-Washy. What a funny word. I’ve heard that expression since I was a little girl growing up in Texas, and I know we Texans (at least my people) were very creative in the art of word creation. I wasn’t sure it was a word, so I looked it up. Turns out it is. And what a great word it is. It’s the sort of word that should make you say “ouch” if applied to you.
Cambridge’s online dictionary defines “wishy-washy” as: “lacking in firm ideas, principles, or the ability to make a decision.”* Ouch, indeed!
Lackadaisical and ambivalent describe “wishy-washy.” So does “Whatever,” said with a sigh, a shrug, and a bit of attitude.
Strangely enough, the word (wishy-washy) came to mind while thinking about New Year’s resolutions over the past two weeks. Resolutions typically become a topic of conversation by late Christmas day as the reality of the physical impact of the previous twenty-seven (plus or minus) days of overindulgence begins to sink in. So resolutions are made.
- Starting January 1, the diet begins – 20lbs lighter by the end of the year!
- January 1, I’m heading to the gym every day.
- On the first of January, I will start reading my Bible daily.
- I’ll start attending church regularly again after the first of the year.
- After the first of the year, I’ll begin meeting regularly with friends who need encouragement.
Resolutions come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Resolutions are easy to make. Keeping them is another story altogether. Here are a few stats from DriveResearch:**
- 23% of adults quit the New Year’s goals by the end of the first week of January.
- 43% of adults give up on their resolutions by the end of January.
- 92% of adults will not follow through on their resolutions over the course of the year.
I’m guessing the odds are better that a child will receive everything on their Christmas wish list or that an adult will check off every item on their lifetime bucket list than the odds that New Year’s resolutions will be successfully achieved.
We seem a bit “wishy-washy” when it comes to resolution-making.
Do we understand what it means to make a “resolution”? There are many definitions for resolution and its origin-related words: resolve and resolute. It boils down to this: to make a resolution or resolve to accomplish something is to make a definite, binding decision to do that something. It’s a promise to one’s self to achieve a specific goal. A resolution requires determination and willingness to follow through.
If you resolve to accomplish something – to make a change in your life, whatever it may be – you must be resolute (the other related word). To be resolute is to be single-minded and focused in the face of opposition, resistance, or hardship. Resolute includes the ideas of persistence, determination, and tenacity.
Is wishy-washy sounding more descriptive of the “resolutions” most of us make?
Of course, our physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being are critically important, and we must diligently care for this fleshly temple God has gifted us. So, goals and resolutions for health and well-being are essential and God-honoring.
But I suggest that the resolutions that align us better with God’s instructions for His children are the resolutions we need to get serious about. The resolutions that demand our attention are the resolutions that build our spiritual strength and stamina, expand our knowledge of God, and grow our relationship with God and the people He brings into our lives. About those, we must be resolute. Unbending. Undeterred. Unwavering.
Wishy-washy should never describe our attitude towards God and obedience to Him.
Jesus, our great example in all areas of life, showed us what it looks like to be resolute in obedient living—and dying. When the time for Jesus’s crucifixion was drawing near, He fixed His sights on Jerusalem. Luke writes, “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set his face to go to Jerusalem…the people did not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:51, 53 ESV.
Jesus knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem: betrayal, abandonment, cruel persecution, crucifixion, a slow and painful death, and separation from His Father. And still, He fixed his eyes on Jerusalem, determined to walk in obedient faithfulness to His God-given assignment.
That, dear friend, is resolve. That is resolute obedience. That’s how you achieve your resolutions.
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” –
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ESV
*Dictionary.Cambridge.org
**DriveResearch (driveresearch.com)