Beginnings
It’s New Year’s Eve – a time for reflection and for new beginnings. I put the new pages in my planner and there was a couple of extra “motivational” pages stuck in and one hit me. There was a simple question at the top:
What one thing do you want to change about your personal life?
You can turn that question heavenward:
What one thing do you want to change about your walk with God?
That questions was followed by two directions:
- what can you do to change it?
- schedule it in your planner now.
Last year about this time, my friend referred me to a website with the following reflection questions:
- What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
- What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
- What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your home life this year?
- In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
- What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
- What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
- Whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
- What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
- What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
- What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? Why?
This is truly a time of reflection. For the first time (ever – in my life), I’m going to be alone on New Year’s Eve. My kids are in two different places and I will have the house to myself. This may be the last Christmas holiday that both of my kids live with me and I want to make the most of this time.
This post is not so much about me “telling”, it’s about you all asking. And that’s a good thing.
Just a couple of more questions – although there are more at this site.
The first question has you look at Scripture: What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?
(I’ve been looking at imputation of righteousness, vs. declaration – and I’m going to go see the “big guy” on that topic – NT Wright.
The second question has you look inward: In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?
(I want to be “fluffier” – less serious. I want to learn how to ski and I want to go snowshoeing. I want to go backpacking. What am I going to do? I’m going to do it.)
What are you all going to do?
I always think I want to aspire to be “fluffier”…but when I am, I am not satisfied…funny how that “grass is always greener” thing works. On my way to that website you linked!
“What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?” this is the one God is working on in me right now. He is asking me to dream big this next year, but I get scared, and I tend to place God in my nice and neat little box. I need to dream the humanly impossible.
Ok this Florida girl wants to know what is snowshoeing??? =)
The prayer life… I am going to do it!! 🙂
There is so much I need to improve on in my relationship with God…hmmm where do I begin??
Regarding the biblical doctrine, it has to be the doctrine of love for everything comes from that love. Jesus said that the two most important commandments are love God and love your neighbour – all the other commandments rest on this. If we love God we will obey Him, if we love our neighbour we will be selfless in our attitude towards them reflecting that love of God towards them. So I need to learn that agape love of God more and more and more…
Regarding your other question. I like your idea of being fluffier, I think the area I need to change most in my life is what I’ve just mentioned above, I need to love more, like Jesus loves me.
Have a Happy New Year
Snowshoeing – when you strap great big flat things to your feet and go play in the snow…Here is the wiki article. 😉
Beautiful and challenging, but I especially love the way you point us all heavenward. God bless you so much!
Oh.my.goodness. What hard questions you are posting here – doctrine? Hm – I probably have to say baptism!!!! Yeah, I know – I should get it, but I am a little conflicted as of lately with it…
And the fluffy thing for 2007 – laying on the beach and enjoying the world around me – I am praying that will happen next year…
Thank you for your thought provoking post …
You know, I think I spent last year trying to learn to be “fluffier” which is why I spent the last few days playing gamecube and board games with the kids instead of fighting with them to get work done. I used to be way too serious–still don’t get a lot of the flippant stuff but at least I am learning that it’s not a waste of time if the kids are getting the attention they crave.
The Lord ususally gies me new Biblical doctrine to chew on each year but I will hve to wait and see what He is going to give me. Last year it was the question of whether women should work–I thought I had it all figured out then the Lord revealed more to me and I realized that previously it had been His plan that “I” not work not that no woman should work. So learning the difference between His plan for me and His plan for others was a big one.
Thank you for making me think, though I suspect it is a bit early for such a thing.