Happy New Year!
Everybody loves a new year. From setting new goals, to getting a fresh start, to leaving the past year behind us, it seems like every year, the entire world is ready for a do-over.
And along with New Years comes New Years Resolutions. Commitments we make to ourselves and others that we are going to set a goal and stick to it. Many people focus on improving their health and fitness, getting out of debt, or growing their business. Others plan to make more time for family or get closer to God.
Whatever your intentions, or your follow-through looks like each new year, our focus always seems to be the same:
What do I want my life to look like this year?
We use admirable phrases like “Life’s too short, I need to go after my dreams now!” and “This is my year to do the things I’ve always wanted to do!”
I am completely guilty of doing this, too! I get out my new planner and start planning the year away to accomplish all of the things so that I won’t be as overwhelmed and stressed out as I was last year.
But something I think we miss in this process of getting a fresh start is asking God what HE wants our next year to look like.
We get so hyper-focused on our own goals that we don’t consider what our Creator, the One who decides whether we make to this next year or not by the way, wants us to do with our time, energy and the gifts He’s given us.
Don’t Misunderstand Me…
I’m not saying having goals or making plans is bad. TRUST me, I am pretty strongly a Type A personality and I LIVE to plan sometimes, but when it comes to what we are called to do on this earth, our priorities should not be our main focus unless they aligned with God’s.
Let’s See What Scripture Says:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." PROVERBS 16:9 NIV
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." JEREMIAH 1:5 NIV
"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." PROVERBS 19:21 NIV
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
ROMANS 8:28 NIV
Convinced yet?
No matter what plans we try to make, God’s plan will ALWAYS trump whatever we’ve got up our sleeves.
And that’s how it should be. If we’re seeking Him FIRST and wanting to live out His will for our lives, then His plan has to be at the top of our list.
Let’s look at a more recent example…
I think all I have to say is the year: 2020.
Soooo many people made so many plans for their lives and I doubt many people anticipated how the year would actually turn out or that it would have the impact that it did.
But, you know who did see it coming?
God!
He knew all along. He knew how and when it would happen. He knew how businesses and lives would be affected. He knew everything. And I’m sure there were people that were following Him that He helped prepare ahead of time, even if they didn’t know it at the time.
So why doesn’t God give us a clearer roadmap?
I don’t know about you, but every time I seek God’s direction for my life or clarity about a decision that I need to make or what I can do to better live out His calling for my life, sometimes I wish He would just give me a straight answer.
Ask and you shall find, right?
And sometimes, God does give us straight answers, especially through confirmation from others. I’ve had that happen a lot in my life and I’m grateful for the clarity.
But a lot of times, God doesn’t give us straight answers or to-do lists.
Why?
I think there are a few different reasons…
1.) Would we trust the big picture?
If God always gave us the big picture up front, do you think many of us would actually follow through with it? I don’t! I know how overwhelming it can seem to try and follow through on a goal I’ve set for myself, let alone the God of the universe! Do you think many people would actually start taking action to make that thing happen if they knew how big or impactful it would be?
2.) What about our opinion of the plan?
This also goes along with point 1, but I think if God told us the entire plan at the beginning, it would enter “human opinion” into the mix. There are a lot of things that we, as humans, make decisions about daily based on our opinions of those things. I’m going to use a really basic example here of going to the grocery store and getting caught in a rainstorm. I, for one, HATE it when this happens! Do you think that if we knew ahead of time that it was going to rain, that we would’ve gone to the store anyway? Or, do you think we would’ve said, “Eh, I’ll go another day and we’ll just order take-out for dinner.” But what if that grocery store trip led to reconnecting with an old friend you could invite to church or helping an elderly person and being Jesus’ hands and feet? My point is that if we knew the whole story about what would happen, we would almost always choose the most convenient option. It’s in our nature. We want it easy, but that doesn’t always equal what’s best for us or what’s part of God’s plan.
3.) To-do lists don’t lead to relationships…
The third point, and in my opinion, the most important point, is that to-do lists don’t lead to relationships. Think of an employee who works for their boss and receives a to-do list as a list of responsibilities for their position, or even a daily to-do list. Once someone is given a to-do list, and understands the tasks they are to accomplish, what do they do? They think, “Ok, great! I’ve got this!” and then leave, go knock out the list, and come back when they’re done (for the most part).
Imagine if that’s how our relationship with God worked. What if, every day, we went to him for a new to-do list and we didn’t speak again until we had accomplished those tasks just to get a new list and start over. There’s not much interaction happening there.
But if, instead, a person receives just the first step of a task. They aren’t completely sure of the full extent of the task or the big reason of why they are supposed to do it, but they know enough to take the first step in the right direction. Then, what do they have to do? Go back to the person who gave them the list and ask for step number two.
When God gives us bite-sized pieces of His plan, not only are they more achievable, but we learn to trust Him along the way. We follow Him more closely because we honestly don’t know where we’re going. We seek Him more often because we have to. We learn to lean on Him more fully and He works through us in that process.
So how should we go into a new year?
Seek God First!
Spend time in prayer, fasting, whatever you need to do to get focused on His plan before you even start to make any of your own. Ask God where He wants to take you in the next year, the next month, the next week. Whatever you’re trying to plan, put God’s agenda at the front of it. (Side note: I know this can be hard, especially when we feel like God has given us these desires for our lives for a reason. The best thing is to be honest with God. Tell Him you’re struggling to give up your own agenda and ask Him if it has to do with what He’s calling you to. You may be surprised how He answers you.)
Prioritize The Things He’s Already Called Us All To
Telling others about Jesus, reading scripture and spending quiet time with God daily, tithing, being Jesus’ hands and feet, being a good steward of the gifts He’s given you, and living your life well with the things He’s already given you are all ways you can honor God and grow closer to Him no matter what He has planned for your next year. They are also ways in which He can reveal His calling for you.
Build The Things He’s Calling You To Into Your Schedule
After you’ve spent time in prayer and quiet time just listening to God, if He reveals anything to you, start working through how you can be a good steward of that thing. If you don’t feel like He’s giving you a clear direction right away, keep seeking and asking how you can serve Him. It may be a timing thing or a growing thing and He’s waiting for you to be in a specific place before giving you that next step. But when He does, THEN you can start planning it out. And seek Him through that process too! For more on how to find your calling, check out this post!
Whatever this new year looks like for you…
I pray God blesses you through it. I pray your relationship with Him grows closer than it ever has been and you gain new understanding of the loving Father we serve and His specific plans for your life. I hope you experience more of the fullness of God this year and do things you never thought possible for the Kingdom. I pray you experience His richness and grace like you never have before and thrive in His presence.
Happy New Year friends!
