New Year’s Reflection
New Years Eve is the victory lap of the holidays. We expend our energy between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then cap it off with one last party to say good bye (or good riddance) to what just happened and hello to what’s to come.
It’s no wonder so many of us use the New Year as a time to change. We finally have the freedom to glimpse a future with no major holidays for a few months.
This article from Jason Gardner via Cross Rhythms lists the top ten resolutions people make for the new year:
- Get organized
- Help others
- Learn something new
- Get out of debt
- Quit drinking
- Enjoy life more
- Quit smoking
- Tame the bulge
- Fit in fitness
- Spend more time with family and friends
As Jason mentions, “all certainly forgotten by the time February kicks in.” In fact, it’s oftentimes an anomaly to keep a resolution throughout the year.
Personally, I’ve never been one for year-long resolutions, mainly because of how much trouble I have with week-long resolutions. For change to work for me, it needs to come out of a God-placed desire to be a different person. And while there is no extra sprig of spirituality amid the tick of time that takes us from December to January, we’d be remiss not to use any opportunity to reevaluate aspects of our lives, especially the spiritual aspects.
Maybe a positive spiritual change for you this year would be something as simple as committing to reading your Bible for a minute a day, or maybe even reading it for the first time in its entirety. Perhaps it’s going to church every Sunday this year, or getting involved in that ministry you’ve always thought about. Or maybe you want to actually pray this year. Maybe it’s something even more drastic: maybe it’s a complete turn from the path you’re taking.
Whatever it is, even though there’s nothing magic about January 1, it’s a great time to listen to what God might be asking you to consider.