Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--December 30, 2025

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With the start of a brand-new year on the horizon, in the next few days we will be reminded how inadequate we were in this past year. A wave of fresh and exciting advertising will challenge us to get up off the couch and fix what we think is broken in our lives. Soon we will be inundated with compelling ads on how to lose weight, or which gym to join to finally get in shape; how to think more positively, how to quit smoking or to quit that other ugly habit (whatever it might be); how to grow in our career with a new degree, or how to find satisfaction by feeling better about ourselves (Christie, 2025). It seems that we tried these things previously, and we were not very successful. This year it will be different--we will resolve to try again… but will we be successful?

Drive Research data suggests that 92% of adults will not follow through on their New Years’ resolutions (Drive Research, 2024). This data is basically confirmed with statistics from another research site that considers the data from the approach of those who succeed (InsideOut Mastery, 2024). Here it is reported that only 9% of people successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions (InsideOut Mastery, 2024). They report that while 48% of adults surveyed want to exercise more, overall 23% of adults who set New Years’ resolutions quit in the first week; then 64% by the end of the first month. How frustrating!

I would like to suggest to you that when it comes to the New Year, there is a great place for you to start--a place to reflect on where you are, where you have been and where you would like to be--and it doesn’t require a gym membership! I want to suggest to you that there is an old prayer that is just right for those with failed resolutions from the past; and it is the antidote to the poison of fears and trepidations about the future. This old prayer was written in a time of incredible stress; and the resulting peace that comes from praying this prayer has blessed millions of lives since it was originally prayed. This prayer is a very familiar one, and sometimes the most familiar prayers are the ones that are the least appreciated. This prayer is Psalm 23, found in your Bible, and perhaps one so familiar that you could even quote a few verses........

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