As 2016 begins, are you hopeful about the days ahead, but unsure how to make the most of them? Perhaps, like me, you’ve made New Year’s resolutions only to realize that they had no more power than the paper they were written on.
Moses, a man who walked with God, instructs us to “number our days, so that we may cultivate a heart of wisdom.” But how do we do this in practice? How can we know with assurance what to commit to in this next year? Is there a plan to help us make better decisions that will lead us to a more fulfilled life?
Discerning leads to discovery
A search for wisdom in this area brought me to a discovery. That discovery led to making one significant change in my life, opening the door to intentional living. This change, taking just a few hours a year, has had a tremendous impact on my life. Here’s where I started:
- I began to plan the glory of God into life. By taking time to ask the right questions, reflect, and respond to how God was already moving in my life, I invited His omniscience into planning for the year.
- I realized that planning wasn’t just about money or my ‘to do’ list. It’s about organizing life to use our days so that we may live into our potential with an abundant and full life. Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it to abundance.
- I started envisioning life a year from now.This helped to gain clarity on the small steps that would take me into this future.
Planning to live intentionally
As a result, I began investing a few hours at the start of each year in an annual planning retreat. This retreat has made such a difference in my life that my children, now adults, also follow the same practice. One of the stipulations when I married my husband was that he would join the planning retreat. It has served to bring unity and helped facilitate deep and meaningful conversations between us. We can now understand and support one another’s life goals.
I challenge you to give the planning retreat a try. An investment of a few hours in yourself will open the door for you to gain wisdom that will guide you into the new year. You might say you just can’t take the time. However, I believe you’ll find this retreat will ultimately save you time as you work through what to start and what to stop. Who knows, you might influence your friends and family as they see intentional living taking place in you!
In our next blog post, we will give you our Annual Retreat Guide. Don’t let another year pass through your hands without planning to live your life to its fullest.
