Regardless of whether you are making a New Year’s resolution or just trying to set new goals in 2025, the start of the year is an excellent time to do an inventory. Look at current habits and see if there are ways you’d like to enhance certain aspects of your life. We often create an annual plan or “vision board” to capture what to focus on in the year ahead, but when doing this, it’s easy to overlook our spiritual goals. The goals of deepening our trust in God and walking in faith and generosity should be a priority for our plan. Starting can be the challenging part so we’ve outlined some simple steps to evaluate where you are and where you want to go in your journey with God.
- Prioritizing prayer: Are you prioritizing prayer? Just as you would take the time for exercise to become healthier and achieve your fitness goals, set aside the time to pray every day. Make prayer a priority. Prayer helps keep our hearts set on the Lord and grow closer to Jesus.
- Find a Bible reading plan: Imagine the Bible as God’s way of having a daily conversation with you. Just as a friendship flourishes with frequent interactions, your relationship with God strengthens through consistent, intentional time spent in His Word. A reading plan helps sustain this important connection.
- Start a gratitude journal: Be grateful and acknowledge your gratitude. Write down all the blessings God has given you in a daily journal. Studies show a gratitude journal can lead to greater long-term happiness and more general life satisfaction overall. So get a pen and start writing!
- Healthy body, mind, and spirit: It’s essential to nurture all three dimensions of our being. True wellness encompasses our physical health, mental health, and spiritual well-being. To attain a healthy mind, body, and spirit, prioritize practices such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, meditation, spending time in nature, practicing gratitude, connecting with others, engaging in meaningful activities, and actively managing stress. Nurture your whole self through intentional choices.
- Enhance your giving plan: Look at how you can responsibly manage your time, talent, and treasure, which are all gifts from God. Discover or rediscover your God-designed purpose, passion, and plan through our Pathway, and impact the world with your unique generosity.
- Listen more: Practice listening to God and others around you. “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) As followers of Christ, if we are quick to listen, slow to speak, and practice the word of the Lord, we will find a deeper faith and truly hear God’s direction — ultimately grounding us in our purpose and our path.
- Building meaningful relationships: Love, compassion, forgiveness, and prioritizing others’ well-being are essential for building strong and lasting relationships. These values are frequently emphasized in the Bible, encouraging individuals to actively engage with and care for others in their community. Think about how you can build and strengthen your relationships inside and outside of the home.
And remember, as you prioritize your goals for 2025, as long as you are prioritizing God, you will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 expresses, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.“ This scripture conveys that when plans are aligned with truth and goodness, and when people surrender to God’s will, they will have greater accomplishment.
