He himself bore our sins . . . that we might
die to sin and live to righteousness.
—1 Peter 2:24
Resolutions move in one of two directions: starting what you ought to start—or quitting what you ought to quit.
Carl started smoking when he was a teenager. His companions said, “Do it”—his parents said, “Don’t.” Like Rehoboam, Carl rejected the counsel of his stodgy parents and followed the advice of his stupid pals (1 Kgs 12).
But his endgame was good: after smoking for twenty years, he quit.
You’ve heard the saying, “Quitters never win.”
Sometimes, they do.
Habits are harder to stop than to start.