This is the season of resolution-making, right? Except, after a year like the one we just survived, it seems like there is less resolution-making going on than usual. And with 2021 looking very similar to 2020, maybe we just want to resolve to survive again?
I have an encouragement for you. A challenge, if you will. Before this holiday weekend ends, take just a few minutes to reflect backward, and forward. We need centering in this season of uncertainty and loss, and this practice will help with that.
So, if you dare, join me this weekend in a centering practice that will help start your year with a hopeful heart. Look at your weekend, and find a 30-60 minute time slot, and purpose now to take that time to take up this challenge.
First, let’s look back. This year was tumultuous, for sure. COVID, racial strife, fires, disasters, death, loss of dreams and plans, and so much more. But in the midst of all of that, God has been faithful and good. That is who God is. There is no other way to be. But sometimes we have to exercise more discipline to see it. So, the first part of this practice is to find 12 things for which to give God thanks – one for each month.
Take your journal or a piece of paper, and write the months down one side of the page. Then sit and reflect for a few minutes, asking the Lord to bring to mind the places where you have seen God at work, or the blessings that were brought to you. Now, if you’re like me, much of this year feels like a blur and it’s hard to focus. A couple of memory prompts that can help you in this might be one of the following:
1. Scroll (or page) back through your calendar
2. Scroll through your photos
3. Page back through your journal
The goal here is just to write ONE thing for which you are thankful for each month. If you’re on a roll and find 3 or 4 things, that’s great! Write those down too. But don’t pressure yourself to find a bunch. Just one is good.
Once you’ve completed that exercise, pause and thank God from your heart for those evidences of grace.
Then we’ll turn our attention to the future – 2021. Resolutions are quickly broken, often because they aren’t realistic, and because we don’t put much thought into HOW we might accomplish them. So, rather than make any resolutions, let’s just make one goal. But be mindful of Whose you are. Your life is not your own, so the goals you set for your life should be in line with your Creator’s goals for you as well. Sit quietly for a few moments and ask God what one goal you should consider for this year. Remember that you are a wholistic being, made up of spiritual, physical, emotional, social/relational, intellectual, and economic aspects and needs. Which of these might God want to be working on with you this year?
Once you have a goal in mind, write it down. But make sure it’s a SMART goal – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed. It is not helpful to yourself to set goals which are hardly possible to achieve, or that you can’t tell whether you’ve met or not.
Once you have your goal worded SMARTly, write down 3 specific action steps that you are going to take to make your way toward that goal. These should be very specific, very doable, and have a deadline.
For example, let’s say your goal is to decrease your consumption of sugar in 2021 to 3 sweet items a week. Your action steps might look like this:
– Remove all sweets from the house the first week of January
– Create a list of easy, nutritious, non-sugary snacks to eat
– Develop a chart to put in the kitchen to record each sweet item eaten
Or, maybe your goal is to be in the Word daily throughout 2021. Then your action steps might look like this:
– Download the Dwell app and buy premium so you can listen while you get ready in the morning (or fold laundry, or go to sleep, or walk, or whenever)
– Find a Bible reading plan that works for you and download it (or print it if you prefer)
– Ask a friend to be your accountability partner and check in with you on your Bible engagement
These are just examples, but you get the idea – easy, doable steps that will walk you toward the bigger goal.
And a last word on goals – if you fall off the horse, get back on. No shame! Shame is incapacitating. Growth is a process – we fall down, and we get up. The victory is in getting back up when you fall down and continuing. Little by little, you will make progress toward your goal.
May 2021 be a year of gratitude and growth for you as you walk with the Lord and grow in faith and grace.