It’s that time again. New Year’s Day has brought its usual flood of retrospectives and resolutions. I’ll add my bit, but I won’t look at politics, entertainment, sports, or world events. Instead, I’ll invite you to look at your own life, as I look at mine.
Growth and change usually happen gradually. We make incremental progress toward (or away from) our goals, rather than instant great leaps forward (or backward). We get caught up in the day-to-day minutia, and don’t realize the changes as they are happening. The start of a new year offers us an opportunity to slow down and notice how the past year has affected us.
Here are some questions to get us started.
What Happened Last Year?
As you began the year, what were you anticipating? What did you expect to happen? How did you think you would feel at the end of the year?
Were you dreading something about the coming year? Were there problems or challenges that you anticipated?
If so… Did those problems come to pass? Were they as bad as you thought they would be? What was the extent of the problems in proportion to your energy spent worrying about them? 1
Were you looking forward to something about the year? Were there successes expected, happy milestones to meet?
If so… Did the good times come as expected? Were they as good as anticipated, or did they fall short of your expectations? 2
Did something happen during the year that was a total surprise? Was it a pleasant surprise, or an unpleasant one? 3
Did you start anything new during the year? Do you now have a new job, new relationship, new hobby? Is the new thing good for you, something that you want to continue into the coming year?
Did something end during the year? Did you voluntarily stop a job, relationship, or hobby? How is that absence affecting you now? Are you grieving a loss that you did not choose? How is that impacting you?
How have you changed since last year? Are you stronger or weaker: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?
What Did God Do?
As you look back, with 20/20 hindsight, can you see God at work? How much did you notice Him at the time? 4
How much did you include Him in your life? Did you turn to Him during hard times, or thank Him during good times? Did you ask Him for anything? What was His reaction?
Are you closer to Him now than you were a year ago?
What About Next Year?
What from the past year do you want to carry over, and continue into the coming year? What do you want to leave in the past, and do without in the coming year?
Are there problems anticipated? Do you want to approach them the same way you did last year’s problems?
Are there joys anticipated? Do you want to approach them the same way as last year?
Given that we can generally expect the unexpected to happen in the future as it did in the past, how do you feel about that?
How does God fit into your calculations for the new year? He wants to be intimately involved. Is that what you want? How will you nourish your relationship with Him?
Just For You
I can’t answer any of these questions for you, or for anyone but myself. But the thought process is perhaps worth exploring.
Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae is the focal passage for our Deacon team. It is a pretty good goal for all of us in the coming year.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may
…be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will
…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects,
…bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
…strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,
…for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;
…joyously giving thanks to the Father,who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
Colossians 1:9-12
Footnotes and Scripture References
- God was there, ready to protect, guide, and comfort.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. - God was there, rejoicing with you.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
- You may have been surprised, but God was not.
… in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. - Even if you couldn’t see it at the time, He was implementing His good plan for you.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
