By Rev. Richard Walker – Vicar of St. John’s Church, Yeadon

WHAT resolutions will you be making this year?

Despite previous failed attempts, many people still try to use the New Year as the opportunity to make changes to their quality of life. For some the focus is on their physical wellbeing – losing weight, taking more exercise, getting fit. For others there is a desire to improve intellect or skills by enrolling on a college course or beginning a new hobby. Others decide to do their bit to improve the world – getting serious about recycling or taking more interest in local or national issues. And for some the New Year renews desires to spend more time with family and friends.

Now all these are worthwhile aims, yet none of them deal directly with the spiritual aspects of life. In my job I meet many people who acknowledge that there is a deeper dimension to life which they want to explore, but they never quite manage to get around to doing so. The pressures of work, family and other commitments leave little time for considering why on earth we are living the way we do – and yet many admit to an underlying frustration and dissatisfaction with their lot.

Might I suggest that this coming year would be a good time to begin to live from a different perspective? To live – as it were – from the inside out. Perhaps the spiritual side of life can help us to make sense of everything else and to find the wholeness and balance we long for. Many local churches run short courses helping people to explore life from a Christian perspective and with the rich variety of churches in our area there should be something for everyone who wants to find out more.

This year, why not make a new kind of resolution – to live from the inside out? Place God at the centre and see if life begins to make more sense.