Whether we like it or not, every new year there is a pressure to “start over”, “be a better me”, or “new year, new me”. What does that look like for us as Christians? Does it look any different? How do we incorporate our knowledge of the Bible, sin, justification, and abundant grace?
How do we abide more in the Spirit without a to-do list that brings us shame when we inevitably do not complete it?
My advice to you is first to know yourself. Everyone’s walk with the Lord is different! Get to know yourself and how you relate to God. You can look to others for ideas and inspiration, but if you quickly sink into comparison, STOP! If you like structure, use structure! If you struggle with structure, how can you add fluidity to your routines?
What brings you to worship the Lord?
Does singing a joyful noise to the Lord deeply inspire your soul?
Do you love the challenge of memorizing a chunk of scripture?
Or do you have a goal of reading the entire Bible?
Are you a person who loves journaling and can pray through writing and journaling?
Take a minute and think of the spiritual and worshipful habits that come easy to you. How can you deepen that “easy” habit and make it a part of your everyday life? Then take a minute to think of what habits you long to cultivate and how you can add them to your routine. On busy or hard days (weeks, or months) do the thing that is easy for you to connect with the Lord! Listen to the song, repeat the verse you are reading or memorizing, and do the minimum.
Recognize good days or days that are a little lighter of a load and challenge yourself on those days to grow in ways God is calling you!
What do you like and what do you not like about your current life?
If you haven’t heard of having a “rule of life”, Practicing the Way has some good resources to check out. The idea is to examine your life. What brings you joy? What drains you? This practice encompasses all different practices such as sabbath, community, gratitude, fasting, generosity, etc. There are so many options! Just remember to start slow and learn to listen and hear God through this journey.
You will not be perfect
We know we are sinners living together in this chaotic world. There will be “good” days and “bad” days in this upcoming year. Lean into the hope of Christ cultivated throughout the Advent season. Our God humbled himself to become a baby, to live with us, and to die for all your mistakes. He know the mistakes we will make and He died anyway! Cultivate a life of remembering you are loved by God just how you are and let that love transform the way you interact with yourself and others.
There is a substantial hope Paul discusses in Romans. We have hope in Jesus; let that guide your new year!
We believe that cultivating a life in Christ will naturally lead you to missions and the state of the world. However, if you would like a list of habits specific to missions, look through our posts on “5 Habits of a Global Christian” and listen to the latest episodes of our podcast!
