In addition to the ten questions I suggested in my last post, I would encourage you to check out Donald Whitney’s questions to ask for the New Year. Whitney asks some great questions to help you evaluate your life and ponder the coming year. The first ten in particular are really helpful. I have used these questions for the last few years, and also print them out as a bulletin insert for our church each year.
Tag: New Years Resolutions
Questions For the New Year
Each year, I take this time to evaluate my life and consider changes/growth I would like to see. Here are 10 questions related to the Three Passions idea that I am asking that you might find useful as well:
- How can I grow in my awareness and understanding of God’s love, mercy, and grace this year?
- How can I grow in my relationship with God this year?
- How can I grow in my relationship with my family this year?
- How can I grow in my relationship with my church family this year?
- How can I grow in my relationship with ___________ this year?
- In what ways do I need to treat God better this year?
- In what ways do I need to treat my spouse better this year? My parents? My children? My siblings?
- In what ways do I need to treat my church family better this year? My pastor?
- In what ways do I need to treat my neighbors better this year? Friends? Co-workers? Classmates?
- In what ways do I need to treat _____________ better this year?
Resolution Questions
As I mentioned in the last post, I take time at the new year to evaluate where I am and where I would like to go in the coming year. In examining my life, and considering how I need to grow, it is helpful to have some good questions to ponder. Donald Whitney has given us 31 great questions to consider at the beginning of a new year. A sampling includes:
- What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
- What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
- In what 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?
For all 31 questions, visit his site here.
New Years Resolutions
Every year I make some new years resolutions. I start by evaluating where I am, and pondering where I would like to be and how I would like to grow. I then seek to make several resolutions which are broken down into two main categories that follow the theme of this blog and my life.
The first category is “To live with a passion for God and compassion for people.” Under this category, I have the the following sub-points:
- By setting my gaze on Christ and spending time with God as his loving child
- By spending time with my family as a loving husband and father
- By spending time with others
- By focusing on Christ’s passion for me (salvation)
- By living out the commands of love (10 commandments)
- By living out the virtues of love (Fruit of the Spirit plus others)
- By practicing the habits of love (spiritual disciplines)
Each sub-point then has a few specific resolutions that I want to live out during the coming year. Some will be new; others will simply be something I want to continue or improve.
The second category is “To help people and families live with a passion for God and compassion for people.” Again there are subpoints with specific resolutions under each. My subpoints are:
- By discipling my own family
- By serving in my local church
- By writing resources for individuals, families, and churches
- By teaching in various settings as opportunities arise
- By pursuing continued learning opportunities
I share all of this to perhaps encourage you to evaluate your life, and consider how you might better live and help others live with a passion for God and compassion for people. Your subpoints may look very different (especially in the second category), and your resolutions will likely be very different (you’ll notice I didn’t even include them), but the point is to evaluate where you are and where you might grow.
A few final thoughts. First, it is easy to go through all of this and then put your resolutions away and forget them. I’ve done this. Don’t do this! Keep them out where you can see them and review them regularly.
Second, my two categories and their subpoints are very general – the resolutions themselves must be specific so you know if you are accomplishing anything. At the same time, leave room for adjustments and changes during the year. Some ideas simply might not work. God may call you in different directions than you had planned. Feel free to edit your resolutions during the year.
Third, don’t bite off more than you chew. I have a lot of subpoints, but many of my resolutions are to simply to continue what I am doing or change my focus a bit. Only a few resolutions will be really new.
Finally, bathe the entire process in prayer and keep praying through it during the year. It is only be God’s grace that we can grow, so come regularly to the throne of grace to find his grace in your need to grow.
May we grow this year in living and helping others live with a passion for God and compassion for people – because of Christ’s incredible passion for us!
Brian J. Mikul 