It's that time again! As this day comes to an end and tomorrow begins, we mark the beginning of a new year. Time to take the old calendar off the wall and hang a fresh new one. Time for fresh clean pages in the planner. Time for a fresh start.
I don't know about you, but it seems to me that 2015 just flew by! Maybe it's a sign of getting older, but I can sometimes hardly believe how quickly time passes. Yet here we are again at the end of another year, and it's that time again - time for New Year's Resolutions. You know what I mean. It's time to make those ridiculous promises that we make at this time every year. Things like "I will lose 50 pounds by Friday" or "I will never allow anything chocolate to pass my lips ever again", or some other equally unattainable promise that will be broken before next Tuesday.
Have you ever noticed how resolutions are often so vague? I need to do better. I need to lose some weight. I need to spend less money. I need to read my Bible more. With all that vagueness, how can we ever know whether or not we have actually accomplished anything?
That's why I have stopped making New Year's resolutions. Instead, it has been my practice in recent years to set some goals for the new year, to determine a way to be accountable about those goals, and to have benchmarks that I can check periodically to mark my progress. That works much better for me than those pesky soon-to-be-forgotten resolutions.
As I have been reflecting this week on the year 2015, I looked back through my journals to the goals I set at the beginning of the year. I did pretty well in some areas and not quite so well in others. I completed the Bible reading plan I began last January. But, although I began the year doing well in the areas of healthy eating and weight loss, I didn't end the year doing very well in either of those areas. Moving and traveling played a part, but my lack of success in those areas was mostly that I didn't have a good plan.
2015 was a year of change for us, as we relocated from the mountains of North Carolina to the Upstate of South Carolina. That move was the culmination of several years of praying and waiting, and was a beautiful lesson of God's perfect timing and answered prayer. 2015 was also a year of grand adventure, as we traveled around the country on our road trip during the summer.
All that brings us to the beginning of a new year, and to a fresh opportunity to see God at work. It's time to set new goals and make a plan for reaching them.
After much thought and prayer, I have made a decision about my Bible reading plan for the year, and have a plan in place for Bible study as well. Last year, as I read through the Bible, the "word of the year" was wait. As I was reading, I marked that word in my Bible every time I came across it, and I wrote the verse in my journal, along with insights gained from each passage. The writing was an important part of the process. Writing helped me remember.
This year my focus is on prayer, and as I read my Bible this year, I'll be looking for that word, and I'll be focusing on what the Bible has to say on the subject. My goal in that process is to be a better pray-er. My prayer as I read is, Lord, teach me to pray. I'll be marking those passages in my Bible, and I'll be writing down what I learn. Because writing helps me remember. In addition, I'll be keeping a more detailed prayer journal, writing down not only a list of things to pray about and the answers I receive, but writing down my prayers as well. Because writing helps me stay focused. And writing helps me remember.
I have goals in other areas of my life as well. Healthy eating. More exercise. Continuing to get our new house in order. New writing projects. There are plans in place for those things as well, because having a plan helps me stay focused. My plans are written down, because writing helps me remember.
What about you? Have you thought about goals and plans for the new year? Having a plan in place, especially in the area of Bible reading, helps you stay focused. If you don't have a plan, there are a number of good plans available. I have given you links to some resources at the end of this post.
One of my favorite things over the last few months has been taking time each day to write the Scriptures. Several months ago I came across a Scripture writing plan developed by a sister blogger. You can find it here: http://www.swtblessings.com/2015/12/january-scripture-writing-plan.html#.VoUxR6_SnIU
I love how taking time to write down the Scripture causes you to slow down and focus on what the Scripture actually says. It only takes a few minutes each day, but has been so worth the time, and I'm so glad I have added that into my devotional time each day.
As I have been formulating my goals and plans, and as this year winds down and a new one begins in just a few hours, I have been drawn once again to the book of Philippians, as I so often am at this time of year. Drawn back to this verse that sums it all up:
".....my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." (Philippians 1:20 NASB)
Beyond all the goals and resolutions and plans and dreams, this is the one that matters most. That Christ be exalted. That is my earnest expectation and hope. To honor Him in all I do. In all I say. In all I am.
To help you decide on a Bible reading plan:
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-reasons-to-read-the-entire-bible-in-2016
http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2015/12/28/reading-the-whole-bible-in-2016-an-faq/
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