Dwight Fletcher | Elevate your purpose in 2026

We’re almost two weeks into 2026 and, according to different studies, over 23 per cent of people have already broken their New Year’s Resolution. Another 64 per cent won’t last until the end of the month. We may look at these statistics and think it’s because we don’t have the resilience to stick with something new and unfamiliar, but I’d like to offer a new perspective today.

Over the last month, we’ve been saying that resilience is the ability to endure hardships or pressures in life. But, have you ever considered that the reason you’re not resilient in a particular area is because you were never called to withstand that hardship? Quite often, we put pressure on ourselves by requiring endurance in a situation where God never called us to stay.

When we have the wrong idea about our life’s purpose, we end up temporarily committing to new things, but, without a real foundation to back up our decisions, we quit when it becomes hard. We have no divine motivation or passion, but rather a shallow reason for why we want to do certain things, and that will not help us to endure when the initial excitement fades.

Consider the life of the Apostle Paul. It’s clear that he was not focused on selfish gains. He recognised that his life had a greater purpose than that. By focusing on the higher purpose, it took away a lot of the stress in his life. In Philippians 3:12-14 NIV, Paul states, “ I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

SERVE A PURPOSE GREATER THAN YOURSELF

We live in an era where narcissism is encouraged. Almost every marketing ploy and movie celebrates the message: It’s all about me. But, when I only focus on me, I destroy me. James 3:16 GNT puts it plainly, “ Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.” It is through helping others, being generous and caring about the needs of those around me that my life is made better.

So, when you serve a purpose greater than yourself, you find that your resilience actually grows because now you have your own motivation, plus all of Heaven helping you succeed. When you care about the poor, the orphan, the widow, the needy, and you tie your purpose with helping them in some way, you may find yourself actually achieving a resolution that you set.

I want you to hear me say that resolutions are not wrong. Part of having a resilient faith is to set and work toward goals. This lifts our eyes off of the problems and struggles of each day to an achievable prospect for the future. The issue is when we set resolutions that don’t align with an eternal sense of accomplishment and purpose. We have to set goals that help us look toward the future with meaning: goals that accomplish greater things than just making our individual lives better.

How about, as part of setting goals for this year, you take half an hour today or this week to consider if your goals and resolutions are aligned with your purpose? You were put on this Earth to use your unique gifts, callings, and influence to glorify God, enjoy God and help others. Purpose isn’t who you are, but it is what you do. So, our purpose is often felt when we’re engaged in activities. If you do this, I guarantee that you will become more resilient to the struggles you may face this year.