What If the Great Lent Were Your Real Reset?

Deacon Garo Balian

Have you made any resolutions this year? If you did, are you still holding onto them?

Every year, as we enter a new year, we make promises to ourselves. We set goals, dreams, and visions that we want to accomplish. We tell ourselves that this will be the year we change, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what obstacles come.

Some of us say, “I will work out every day.”Some say, “I will eat healthier.”Others promise to help people more, go to church more often, read the Bible more, or grow spiritually.

But as time passes, many of these resolutions begin to fade. The excitement we felt on December 31 slowly disappears. The motivation we had at the start of the year has become weaker. We begin to realize how difficult change really is. And sometimes we quietly say, “Maybe next year… maybe someday… maybe when life is easier.”

Yet, as Christians, we are given something greater than New Year's resolutions.

This year is especially meaningful for us. His Holiness Catholicos Aram I has proclaimed 2026 as the “Year of Spiritual Renewal.” He reminds us that renewing our spiritual life is not optional; it is necessary, because spirituality has slowly lost its central place in many of our lives.

He calls us back to Scripture, to understanding the Divine Liturgy more deeply, and to living a life that is not only ritual-centered, but truly spiritually alive.

And this connects beautifully with the season we are about to enter, Lent.

Lent can become our spiritual resolution.

Not just for a few days.Not just as an obligation.But as a season of real spiritual renewal.

Maybe some of us already feel tired. Maybe we feel like our goals are too hard. Maybe we feel like we are not strong enough, not spiritual enough, or simply not “good enough.”

But Jesus speaks directly to that feeling:“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

When the disciples saw the crowd of thousands and only a few loaves of bread, they said, “We don’t have enough.”But Jesus said, “Bring me what you have.”

And He says the same to us today.

Bring Him what you have.Bring Him your small faith.Bring Him your struggles.Bring Him your doubts.Bring Him your effort, even if it feels small.

If you feel spiritually weak, bring that to Him.If you feel spiritually poor, come to Him.He multiplies what we offer.

During this season, our spiritual resolutions can be simple but powerful:

• Going to church more often

• Reading the Gospel regularly

• Being kinder and more patient

• Helping others in need

As Jesus reminds us, when we help those in need, we are serving Him. When we receive others with love, we receive Him.

Let this Lent become a renewal of our resolutions, especially our spiritual ones.Let it strengthen us.Let it prepare us to reach the Resurrection with stronger faith, deeper hope, and greater love.

So maybe the real question is not: “Did you make a resolution this year?”

Maybe the real question is: “What will you place in God’s hands, and allow Him to renew?”