Guest Writer Michael Furmanski is a combat veteran who served with the 160th SOAR and later as a defense contractor. After nearly 7 total years in combat zones, he now serves as a pastoral counselor specifically for veterans. He is a business owner and He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree with a focus on pastoral counseling and veteran ministry.
If God is laying something on your heart and you would like to be guest writer, contact the office.
New Year, New Mission: A Combat Veteran's Approach To Fresh Starts
This will be a 4-part series
Every year, it's the same thing. January 1st rolls around and social media explodes with declarations: "New year, new me!" People post their resolutions, their goals, their promises to themselves. By February, most of it's abandoned. By March, it's forgotten.
I get it. The appeal of a fresh start is powerful. There's something about flipping the calendar that makes us believe we can flip a switch on our lives too. But here's what twenty-five years of military service and pastoral ministry have taught me: real change doesn't happen because the date changed. It happens when your mission changes.
And for those of us who follow Christ, we don't need to wait for January 1st to start a new mission. God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every single day is a chance to begin again.
But since we're in a new year, let's talk about how to actually make it count.
The Problem with Resolutions
In Army Special Operations, we didn't make resolutions. We set mission objectives. And there's a world of difference between the two.
A resolution is typically a vague intention: "I'm going to get in shape." "I'm going to be a better person." "I'm going to read my Bible more." It's wishful thinking dressed up as a goal.
A mission objective is specific, measurable, and has a clear purpose: "Complete this training program by this date to achieve this capability." Every objective had defined steps, required resources, accountability measures, and a reason that mattered more than personal preference.
Most New Year's resolutions fail because they're built on willpower and good intentions instead of clear objectives and real accountability. They're about what we want to start doing without addressing why we're not already doing it.
Paul understood this. He wrote in Romans 7:18-19, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."
Desire isn't enough. Good intentions aren't enough. We need something deeper.
Define Your Mission
Before every deployment, we went through mission planning. We didn't just show up and wing it. We identified:
- The objective: What specifically are we trying to accomplish?
- The why: Why does this mission matter? What's at stake?
- The resources: What do we need to complete this successfully?
- The obstacles: What will try to stop us?
- The plan: How will we execute, step by step?
- The accountability: Who's checking our progress?
Most people skip all of this and jump straight to "I'm going to lose weight" or "I'm going to pray more." No wonder they quit.
If you want this year to be different, start with the mission. Not resolutions—mission objectives that actually mean something.
Ask yourself: What is God calling me to in this season? Not what everyone else is doing. Not what looks good on Instagram. What is the Holy Spirit actually laying on your heart?
Maybe it's:
- Restoring a broken relationship
- Breaking free from an addiction
- Serving in your church consistently
- Getting your financial house in order
- Dealing with the trauma you've been avoiding
- Investing in your marriage before it falls apart
- Discipling your kids instead of delegating it to the church
Whatever it is, get specific. "Be a better father" is a resolution. "Spend 30 minutes of uninterrupted time with each of my kids every week" is a mission objective.
Stay tuned! Next Monday we will send you part 2 of this 4-part series.
Written By: Michael Furmanski
