I have always enjoyed beginning the New Year.
This is a time in which I consider my life, my direction, and my future. The New Year is a time for reflecting on my walk with God, the condition of my heart, and my habits.
Without such a practice, it is far too easy to minimize bad habits and ignore the obvious faults in one’s own life.
You may be a mother or father. You may be married or single. You may be a schoolteacher, a medical technician, or a homemaker. Regardless, there is something very useful about reflecting on the previous year. Without reflection, one can easily continue patterns and habits that are ineffective at best and may even be destructive.
I find it useful to examine the center of my life. My intent is for the center of my life to be Jesus Christ, Son of God. I want to begin with the center and then examine some of various components of my life. I ask questions that invite reflection on some of my primary relationships. For example:
- Are there significant people with whom I am experiencing conflict?
- What is the condition of my relationship with my spouse? Is my spouse being built up and encouraged in our marriage?
- How will my children speak of my relationship with them when they are adults? How will they remember life with me as their dad or mom? Was I nurturing and encouraging? Or, will my children remember me as difficult?
At some point during this process, I want to think about 2015. What kind of person do I want to become this year? What does God desire for me to become?
If I wish to grow in a certain area or if I wish to address a neglected area of my life, what will need to happen?
Perhaps this series will be useful to you. Maybe in some way, it will spur you to act as you begin the New Year.