Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash
How do you welcome the new year? With polka dotted clothes, round fruits, lots of noise and fireworks? With new year’s resolutions and promises?
Except for the mess from the previous night’s revelry, the first day of the new year does not really look much different from the day before. But in our minds, what was in 2017 stays with 2017; 2018 is different — a brand new start. A new year gives hope for change. Indeed, the new year can be a grace to us who can use new beginnings – if we seize the opportunity to make it a change marker for us. How?
Retreat. We can maximize the last few days, even hours, of our current year, or even the first few days of the new year to start our new year purposefully. Choose to have some time of quiet aside from welcoming the new year with a lot of noise. Go into your room or get away from the city. Take your journal, Bible, pen – yes, even your mobile phone with you (but choose not to get distracted!). You can take some art materials with you if you want to do a vision board during your retreat. Bathe this process in prayer. Ask God to lead you in your reflection.
Revisit. Using your journal, pictures, and your social media posts, review the year that was. Look at your past entries. What happened from the last January to December? What were your highlights and low points? Write these down.
Reflect. Sort through your entries. Which developments are you thankful for? Which events were positive developments? Who or what did God add in your life? Thank and praise God for these!
On the other hand, were there unpleasant and painful situations in the past year? How would God want you to regard such developments in your life? Indeed, there are events we mourn over. There are some we need to move or grow from, others we have to learn to just live with by the grace of God. All these we can do by taking on Christ’s invitation to lay them down at His feet.
There are things that have not yet happened, so they might not either be pleasant or unpleasant. These may be dreams, plans, concerns or just persistent thoughts. Survey your mind about these and note these down. In my experience, it is very helpful to empty my mind of running thoughts and to give them a place on paper. That way, they get acted on. Ask God what He wants you to do about them.
Revamp. The end of the year triggered me (Ysobel) to clean my room. Somehow, the physical act of cleaning my room gave me the psychological counterpart of a fresh start. As I moved about choosing what to keep and throw away, my mind and heart were being put in order. Here are some ideas you might want to consider as you survey your year:
- Declutter. There are just some things in our life that we don’t need anymore. These things may have been useful to us before but no longer serve any purpose to us now, or they may have never been useful in the first place. Whatever it is, it’s time to get rid of it. These may be habits, dreams, or relationships we’ve been holding onto that have been destructive or have kept us from growing.
- Reorganize. Now that you’ve removed all the unnecessary items in your life, it’s time to reorganize the things you have left. There may be some priorities that need more attention; while others, though they still have importance, need to take a backseat.
- Replace. While you’re reorganizing, you may find that there are some free spaces in your life. You may place new things here – new priorities, new pursuits, new relationships, new habits.
In recent years, our family has tried to reflect personally and collectively before the new year. We find the process of reflecting a worthy investment of time before launching into the new year. When you take this time of quiet, you have the resources to make specific plans for the new year. Being able to finish prayerfully reflecting and planning for the new year gives you fresh energy and excitement for the new year. But sometimes, reflection is not completed in one sitting. That’s okay. Wait on the Lord to give you His perspective on your life.
From our family to yours – Happy ReNew Year!
Sixteen-year-old senior high student <strong> Ysobel Joaquin </strong> tandem writes with her mom, FamilyWiseAsia EIC Michelle Joaquin.
