Next week we will turn yet another calendar page and, in so doing, usher in a new year.
New Year – the season when people worldwide make time to reflect on the previous year and contemplate resolutions for the new.
Whether you make resolutions or set goals, the turning of the calendar does, in fact, provide meaningful opportunity for self-reflection and intentional growth for everyone, in all areas of life. However, for the Christian, this time of year also provides opportunity for some spiritual growth work.
As you reflect on the various areas of your life including marriage, family, work, friends, and health, be sure to take time to include your relationship with God and with fellow believers. Then consider what goals you might set that will help to deepen those relationships and transform you more into the image of Christ.
If this is a first for you, or you are simply in need of some fresh ideas, here are eight ideas for ringing in the new year that are tailored for the Christian seeking spiritual growth.
8 Ideas for Ringing in the New Year
REFLECT ON THE PAST YEAR
Many people get excited about the new year, fresh starts, and making resolutions. In fact, when it comes to New Year’s Day, many are so excited they tend to focus only on what lies ahead. Equally important, at the new year, however, is reflection.
In pressing toward the goal of Christlikeness (Philippians 3:12-16), it is essential that we take an honest look at what lies behind. When examined, what does our life show? How are we progressing? What priorities need to be adjusted? Which goals refined or added?
With all this said, consider scheduling a block of time prior to New Year’s Day when you can sit down by yourself and spiritually evaluate the concluding year.
LOOK AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR
Haggai 1:5 tells us to “consider [our] ways.” The new year is an ideal time for pulling aside from our day-to-day busyness to think on the direction of our lives.
Carve out some time this new year to be intentional about your spiritual growth. Get alone with God, pull up Ten Questions for a New Year by Donald Whitney, and spend some time considering your ways.
CREATE A MEMORY JAR
One beautiful way to celebrate the new year is by remembering all the many ways God has been with you in the previous one.
Begin now for next year’s celebration. Place an empty container in a prominent spot in your home. Near it, set some slips of paper and a writing instrument. As things, both happy and hard, occur throughout the year, record them on a slip of paper and deposit it in the container.
Next New Year’s Eve, open your memory jar, pull out the slips of paper, and read each memory. Be reminded of God’s presence and work in your life through it all.
JOURNAL
An invaluable tool for spiritual growth, journaling calls us to attend, permits us to enjoy, and draws us to God. One of the most powerful things you can do as you strive to grow in spiritual maturity is to develop the habit of journaling.
Begin by purchasing a new journal to use throughout the year. This journal will be a place to document God’s work and ways in your life. In it you can record daily events, your responses to these events, reflections and meditations, insights into Scripture, things you are learning, struggles, failures, and/or prayer requests.
In addition to making regular entries in your journal, be sure to set up a schedule for review and reflection. As your journaling becomes more and more a part of your spiritual journey, it will help you with self-awareness and understanding, spiritual meditation, communication with your Heavenly Father, remembering God’s mighty acts, articulating insights, maintaining other spiritual disciplines, and preserving a spiritual heritage. Journaling is also an indispensable tool in monitoring priorities, growth, and goals.
PLOT DOT POINTS
In the coming year, begin the practice of recording daily dot points. Recording these points is a quick way to create a record of what is currently going on in your life. Additionally, entries become an effective tool for self-reflection helping you gain clarity and understanding into your circumstances or discover things God is teaching you. Regular reflection on daily dot points also helps create a picture of spiritual growth.
Generally, daily dot points are the circumstances or events of our life. To keep your record, get in the habit of writing down just one or two each day. Keep it short and simple. Add more detail later if you feel the need. Record questions and bothersome things if you feel the need. Review your daily dot points at regular intervals, including New Year’s Eve.
COUNT GIFTS
Psalm 9:1 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Conscious, intentional recounting can lift our eyes to God. Furthermore, counting all His wonderful gifts and giving Him thanks for them can bring our hearts back to center.
This coming new year, commit to deepening your relationship with your Heavenly Father by counting His glorious gifts. Periodically, take out your journal and write the alphabet down the left-hand margin. Then record a gift for each letter A through Z. Develop the habit of listing some of the day’s gifts each night before you go to sleep. This can be done with paper and pencil or by using a favorite app. Or set a target number on New Year’s Day (keep it doable, perhaps two, three, or five). Then make it a practice to record that number of gifts from God each day of the coming year.
COMMIT TO PRAYER
Speaking of gifts. God’s gift of prayer should not be overlooked for it is a gift that wields great power (Ephesians 6:10-20). Yet as powerful as we know it to be, we often allow this gift to get pushed aside in the busyness of our daily lives. Commit to prayer as part of your new year’s observance or as a daily habit in the year to come.
Set aside some time on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to get alone with the Lord in prayer. Worship Him through prayer, offer thanksgiving for His character, His gifts, His presence in your life. Make your prayer an offering of gratitude, without asking anything. Or spend your time in prayer for others, interceding on their behalf.
Another choice is to commit to increased faithfulness in daily prayer. To establish and sustain this practice begin by setting a daily reminder alarm until prayer becomes habit. You might also try joining your prayer time to something that is already an established routine – morning coffee, walking your dog, or waiting in the school pick-up line.
ADOPT ONE WORD FOR ONE YEAR
One Word for One Year is the practice of selecting a single word on which to concentrate every day for an entire year. For the work of spiritual growth, choose a word that you feel will help you come to better know God and lead you closer to Jesus Christ.
The One Word you select has the potential to be a catalyst for life-change. Concentrating on this word can help provide focus for daily living and spiritual growth. Chosen by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, your chosen word can help speak to a growth area or desired heart transformation.
Putting It into Practice
Eight ideas tailored for the Christian seeking spiritual growth. Ideas that align with your faith, your spiritual journey, and your desire to grow. Ideas that can serve as a roadmap for true spiritual growth and transformation.
As this year ends and you stand at the brink of a fresh new one, I pray you will make the time to sit with these ideas and seriously consider them. Maybe you will choose an idea or two from this list. Perhaps the list will spark an idea or two of your own. Whatever your choice, I pray it is made as the result of much thought, prayer, and time spent with the Lord.
Before I leave, may I be permitted to offer one caution? It’s quite easy to get caught up in excitement and new beginnings and thoughts of great change. As you make decisions about your roadmap for the coming year, I caution you to temper your excitement with a little realism. For truly, if you choose to implement too many things at once, failure is sure to result. Choose instead to implement only one, maybe two, ideas in the coming year. Set yourself up to succeed with your plan.
As we sit on the brink of this new year, it is my prayer that you will choose to be intentional about your growth in Christlikeness. May your commitment to spiritual growth and any ideas for bringing it about lead to a deeper relationship with God and a more meaningful impact on those around you. May the grace and love of our Heavenly Father guide your steps, and may the coming new year be one of significant spiritual growth, heightened joy, and a deeper understanding of God’s will and ways.
