Better Than New Year’s Resolutions
December 28, 2021
Better Than New Year’s Resolutions
Setting God-Shaped Goals for the New Year
By Jenny Culpepper - Sales, Marketing, and Church Relations
As 2021 winds down, many of us ponder changes we want to make or goals we want to set for the upcoming year. Some of us have given up making resolutions at all—why start when we know we won’t complete them? Do we need reminders of more failed efforts? You know the goals such as taking better care of yourself: eating better, exercising more, working less, changing jobs, spending more time with family and friends, or reading more books. Perhaps you plan to take up a new hobby or mend a broken relationship. Any of these and more offer ways to impact your life. Yet, what if we hit these goals only to find that we still feel empty?
We have spent the past 21 months living with some uncertainty and being sadly divided by the way we are choosing to handle a virus. I am not taking sides here—simply pointing out a stressful divide many of us have experienced. It has evoked angry comments from both sides. And we have all had to work through some impact from lack of items to lifestyle changes we did not seek. A New Year offers new hope. I remember one of my favorite book series, Anne of Green Gables, when Marilla asks this question: “Oh (New Year), what will you bring us?” Like Marilla, many of us are asking, “What will 2022 bring us?” While we do not know about 2022, each of us is invited to trust in the One who holds it.
What if we offer up 2022 to God, one day at a time? What if we ask each day, “Lord, help me see you and serve you in this day”? You see, I have spent many years wanting more of God. The truth is that God is always fully present and readily available. What I have found is that I failed to give him all of me. What if 2022 is our year of adventure with God? Our year of saying, “Lord, I will trust you and invite you into every part of my day and my life. Show me the goals you have for me. Teach me to live each day faithfully.”
Before you rattle off new resolutions, have you asked the One who made you what he wants for you? Have you asked the One who loves you relentlessly where he wants to work in your heart? In your life? Are you seeking the wisdom of the world or eternal wisdom? What if 2022 was your year of God-shaped goals?
I offer three challenges for 2022.
Challenge 1: Resolve to spend more time being aware of God’s presence in every moment of every day.
Consider joining our Ignite Community and engaging in our Encountering God class. Each Tuesday morning, we will seek his face, listen for his voice, and seek to align our lives to him.
Challenge 2: Resolve to spend more time with God in his Word.
If you have not read through the entire Bible in a year, join us for The Bible Challenge—a completely free plan and community that will walk you through reading the Bible in a year with assigned readings, daily devotions, teachings, and study guides.
Challenge 3: If you are not in a local church, find one that faithfully adheres to the Scripture and attend it.
We are made for community. We need each other to walk this road together, and our lives are fuller when we do. Beyond your church community, consider participating in our online Bible studies through Ignite. You can join our online Zoom community or use our materials with your own small group.
May 2022 be the year we set not just New Year’s resolutions but God-shaped goals!
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