Choosing Formation Over Fixing

In years past, I've often begun the new year with a desire to fix whatever I perceived to be wrong with me by making resolutions, vowing to replace bad habits with good ones, and generally making promises to myself that ultimately I was unable to keep.  

I've learned that I am not alone in this endeavor. Many of us start the new year in repair mode, hoping to fix ourselves and become the people we believe we ought to be.  

I've had more than my share of failures over the years as I've approached the new year with a fix-it mindset, but there is one thing I did that took root and has perhaps been the single most important "resolution" I've kept: writing these Devos.  

For over a decade, I've been writing these devotional messages every morning, most often preceded by reading, journaling, reflection, prayer, and other practices that I've adopted into my daily rituals.  

What started as a resolution was actually an act formation that grew over time into not only something I do, but a practice that has shaped, molded and formed me in ways that I could have never imagined.  

As it turns out, there is a huge difference between fixing and formation.  

We all know the drill.  January often arrives with a long list of things we hope to fix—habits to break, behaviors to improve, patterns to correct. While reflection and intention are good gifts, the language of fixing can quietly suggest that something is fundamentally wrong with us. Christian faith offers a different starting point: not fixing, but formation.

Formation assumes that we are already deeply loved and that growth flows from that love. Jesus did not gather disciples because they were flawless, but because they were willing. Over time—through mistakes, misunderstandings, and moments of clarity—they were shaped by walking with him.

In Romans, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2). Transformation here is not frantic self-improvement. It is renewal—a slow reshaping of how we see God, ourselves, and the world.

Approaching a new year through formation rather than fixing changes our posture. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” we ask, “What is God growing in me?” Instead of chasing quick results, we commit to faithful rhythms that shape us over time.

Formation takes seriously the reality that growth includes setbacks. We will stumble. We will lose focus. We will have days when hope feels thin. Yet none of this disqualifies us from God’s work. In fact, these moments often become the very soil in which grace takes root.

As this year begins, consider releasing the urge to repair yourself and embracing the invitation to be shaped. Formation happens through prayer that is sometimes clumsy, through acts of love that feel small, through choosing presence over productivity. These practices may not feel impressive, but they are deeply faithful.

God is less interested in quick fixes than in lasting transformation. And that transformation unfolds as we consent, again and again, to be formed by love.

Prayer
Patient God, help me release the need to fix myself. Shape me instead through your grace. Renew my mind, soften my heart, and teach me to trust your slow and faithful work in my life. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where do I feel pressure to fix myself rather than be formed by God?

2. What practices help me stay open to long-term transformation?

3. How might I respond differently to setbacks if I saw them as part of formation?