Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Looking Back and Looking Forward

counter rolling over from 2025 to 2026
The new year is a natural time for new beginnings and second chances. It's a great time for building a new habit or making attempt number 20 at .... But before we do all that, we should take some time to reflect.

Life is change, and many of those changes are unwanted and unpleasant. But many of them are good. Stop and consider where change has been good this year. Maybe you were able to break a bad habit or build a good one. Were you able to save some money? Perhaps you finally had the hard conversation you needed to have with someone. Spend some time reflecting on any victories, whether large or small. Thank God for them, but also congratulate yourself on the part you played. You stuck to it, did the hard thing, and the benefits are worth it.

We also want to consider our spiritual lives. All of us should ask, "Do I look more like Jesus today than I did a year ago?" OK, sometimes a year isn't long enough. When someone first comes to Christ, change can be dramatic. After a few years, change is slow, even asymptotic. If you're 1% more like Jesus now than you were a year ago, it probably doesn't feel like much. So look back 10 years. And maybe ask someone who knows you well what they think.

Ask, "Do I love the scriptures more than I did?" "Do I know the scriptures more than I did?" You may not have spent every day you meant to in the Bible, but did you gain something from the time you did spend?

If this reflection is positive, thank God for his grace. Also, acknowledge your part. The Spirit does not drag us kicking and screaming to holiness. If you're more like Jesus, it's because you've been following Jesus. Acknowledge that: You did what you set out to do.

If this reflection is not positive, that tells us where we need to make changes. If you think the growth should be faster, you can consider what you should change. If you still struggle to read the scriptures, consider where and why you tend to tap out in your reading plan; is there a different way you could do it? Don't give up. Try to come at the problem from a different direction.

On the subject of Bible reading, if you still struggle to develop a daily habit, I suggest not trying to read the whole Bible yet. There are large chunks of the Bible that are very hard to push through, even if you have a strong habit. Let them go for now. Reading one chapter of the New Testament a day — and you can still skip the genealogies — is an easy way to start. Then you can up it to two chapters, reading through twice in a year. Once you have spent a year or two actually reading the NT (pretty much) every day, go back and try to get through the Old Testament.

Dramatic change is not the norm; it's usually slow and incremental. Be patient with yourself, acknowledge your successes, and evaluate yourself honestly. Then decide how you will try to improve in the next year. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, so let's take the long view and correct where we need to.

And I pray that the coming year will be a year of blessing and growth for everyone.


Image via Unsplash

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