Starting the New Year with Faith and Prayer
For many people, the New Year is an opportunity to start over. It is a time to re-arrange our priorities and make personal improvements that are usually focused on health, self-improvement, finances, and relationships. Although the intention is noble, the reality is that a lot of us fail before we start or a few months after the year starts.
People find themselves with a long list of possibilities to start the new year stronger and healthier every year. We often find ourselves surrounded by hundreds of resources that promise to keep us on track and make our goals achievable. Still, many times the odds are not in our favor.
Year after year, people all over the world set out to become faithful followers of God, but this year as humanity was stroked with a health crisis, it seems as though and this year more than ever, every Christian’s resolution is above all, to grow closer and more faithful to God and become committed to his love.
We have all been directly or indirectly affected by this crisis. Some have lost jobs, possessions, family members, or relationships, but despite everything humanity has been through this year, we continue to strive to follow and trust God. Finding encouragement in the Scripture will change how we perceive slow change. Slow change is often seen as a failure because things don’t happen the way we want them to or as fast as we want them to happen. I've experienced this in my own life, where a period of waiting and trusting in God's plan led to a deeper understanding of his purpose for me - I recall a particularly tough season when I had to trust God for provision, and he showed up in unexpected ways, teaching me to trust his timing. We need to slow down and look at things from a different perspective and trust that God will provide that change according to his will. Things don’t happen overnight, nor do they unfold in the timeframe we have in mind. For instance, when I was struggling to find purpose in my daily routine, I started a daily devotional practice, which helped me stay focused on what truly matters and gave me the strength to tackle each day with renewed intention.
Listen to God’s words, for he will illuminate our path, and be patient. When you set your goals for the coming months, make sure you set manageable targets, which is the key to success. The harder you try to be perfect and set unreasonable goals, the harder it is to accomplish them.
Keep in mind that whether we succeed or fail, God’s plans for us continue, they’re a lifelong process, and he will never abandon us. As we navigate the journey of our resolutions, we must remember that our progress is not solely dependent on our own strength, but on our willingness to surrender to God's guidance and timing. As the calendar pages turn, it's essential to keep our eyes fixed on the enduring power of faith, rather than the fleeting nature of our resolutions.
This year, place your resolutions in God, for he will look beyond our sins and will heal our hearts as we move forward into a fresh season of life.
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -
