Happy new year everyone! Hope your new year is off to a great start! I don’t know about you, but I love this time of year – a time for fresh starts, new things, a time to re-calibrate and start afresh. Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul…
Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
These words remind us that we are only given one life on this side of the grave and to make the most of it! Paul reminds us to not just live haphazardly, or aimlessly, or to just kind of survive. Life is not meant to be endured, but to be fully enjoyed and lived to the full!
So, the question is how? For years I would make an impressive list of New Year’s resolutions that I kept for an impressively short time. Usually by February 1st I either failed completely or forgot them totally in the midst of all of life’s distractions. Yep – not a big fan of resolutions.
How About 1 Thing for 2023?
While resolutions may not be my jam, may not be yours either… about five years ago I heard a simple phrase from Craig Groeschel that deeply impacted my life… One small step, done
consistently, overtime leads to big results. Since I heard that phrase, rather than making a bunch of meaningless resolutions, every new year I now take a day to fast and pray and ask the Lord if there is one thing he particularly wants to do in my life, and then take one simple action step – either a new discipline or new practice to help live out this new area of growth in my life.
For example, the first year I made a goal to read at least 30 minutes a day, and over that year I read 26 books (that is good for me), but more than that, I began a new practice of reading, learning and growing regularly. The year after that I felt compelled to learn Spanish, and to this day I spend about 10 minutes a day learning Spanish (I still speak Spanish like a 2 year old, but I’m growing). Recently I read Sherry Harney’s book called Praying with Your Eyes Open, and from that book I have felt compelled this year to pray daily with my wife as we walk together (with our eyes open – so we don’t walk into a tree). I’m happy to report that so far, the benefits have been rich!
How about you? My encouragement would be to take some intentional time to sit with the Lord and ask the question, “Lord, what is one way that I need to grow this year, and what is one practical, simple step I can do to grow in it?” It might be helpful to consider your RPM’S – How are you doing Relationally, Physically, Mentally and Spiritually? Is there one area that most needs some attention in your life? Don’t try 10 things, how about one thing. Maybe you need a daily 10-minute consistent prayer time, maybe you need to exercise 4x a week, or maybe you need a regular date night with your spouse. Again, One Small step, done consistently, overtime leads to big results. Have fun and have a great New Year!