The New Year is already here and I am still contemplating what my resolution should be. I am not overweight and I get enough exercise, so those won’t do for me.

I was actually thinking more along the lines of a spiritual goal or some personality traits that I could try to strengthen, some way to become a better person. In an article I once read, the author made an interesting point: When trying to tackle a problem you face, or grow in some way in your spiritual life, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” and go from there.

I was curious to find out more about this now widely used phrase and its origins, so I did a search on the Internet and found that the phrase “What would Jesus do?” and its initialism, WWJD, have been used by Christians for over 100 years as a reference point to follow Christ’s example in their daily lives.

So that’s my New Year’s resolution. I will try to get in the habit of asking myself “What would Jesus do?” I’m not thinking about walking on water or raising the dead. I’m not in that league. But there are some things that I can do to follow His example on a day-to-day basis.

  • I can make time each day for prayer, as Jesus did.
  • I can love without discrimination, as Jesus did.
  • I can make time for children, even if I’m busy, as Jesus did.
  • I can try to handle difficult situations wisely, as Jesus did.
  • I can humble myself, as Jesus did.
  • I can serve others, as Jesus did.
  • I can be a peacemaker, as Jesus was.
  • I can do my best to conform to God’s plan for my life, as Jesus did.

This “What would Jesus do?” looks like a pretty tall order for me. But I’m going to give it a try. And I think it’s going to turn out quite well, as I have memorized a verse from the Bible that tells me that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”1

And the more I think about it, the more inspired I am to put it into practice. I hope that with time it will become automatic for me to ask myself “What would Jesus do?” and by God’s grace, respond accordingly.

  1. Philippians 4:13