Resolve to Reflect

The new year will soon be upon us and it’s time for those resolutions! You know, the ones you make every year. People try to make resolutions each year, with varying degrees of success. Just for fun, what do you think the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions of 2020 were?  Take some guesses, then take a look: 

Survey says!

Top 10 NewYear’s Resolutions from 2020

  1. Exercise more - 44%

  2. Eat Healthier - 42%

  3. Spend more time with family/friends - 34%

  4. Lose weight - 31%

  5. Live more economically - 30%

  6. Spend less time on social media - 24%

  7. Improve my performance on the job - 23%

  8. Reduce stress on the job - 20%

  9. Quit smoking - 19%

  10. Cut down on alcohol - 15%

We make these resolutions with the best of intentions. And we really try! We all know how busy the gym gets in January. Everyone is looking to get fit. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies are bought to start the year off right! Disciplined budget discussions are happening (and tears being shed) at household tables across the globe. Everyone starts off strong but by mid February, if not before, we are back to our old ways. (Let’s be honest, there are only so many ways to prepare kale…) So, this year, I’d like to encourage you to make some reflections instead of resolutions. 

Reflecting is hard, at least for me. It requires my brain to stop whirling and twirling and to land on a specific topic. Sometimes reflecting is uncomfortable. It brings up things I’m not proud of or with which I’m struggling. Many times it’s easier to just keep pushing forward than to stop and take the time to reflect on how I might do something differently. But taking time for reflection is how we learn and grow and become more like Christ. 

Below are a few prompts to help you reflect on the past year. You don’t need to block out a lot of time for this:

  • Maybe take one prompt a day

  • Quietly journal about it for five minutes

You might be surprised by what God has to teach you in these moments of quiet!

The questions were taken from Deeper Christian: 13 Questions for the New Year and Ten Questions for a New Year by Don Whitney. 

  1. What is the biggest thing I have seen Jesus do in my personal life this year?

  2. How has God used me this year in the lives of others?

  3. Am I enjoying prayer? What’s an impossible prayer I can pray? What one thing could I do to improve my prayer life this year?

  4. Am I a spiritual leader who takes a stand for Truth…who is a friend to the weak, a restorer of justice, a protector to the widow and orphan?

  5. What’s one thing I can do this year to increase my enjoyment of God?

  6. What do my resources (time, talent, finances, attitude, thoughts, passions) say about my focus and priorities this past year? What’s the single biggest time-waster in my life, and how can you redeem the time?

  7. Has God used me this past year to draw individuals into a relationship with Himself? In other words, do I allow Jesus to use my life and lips to be a witness and win the lost? For whose salvation will I pray most fervently this year?

  8. In which spiritual discipline do I most want to make progress this year?

  9. What’s the most helpful new way I could strengthen my church?

  10. What’s the most important way, by God’s grace, I will try to make this year different from last?

ABOUT OUR BLOGGER

Danielle (Dani) Rupp grew up in a small town in Ohio and is a true Buckeye fan, though she tries not to be obnoxious about it.

In 2011 she came to Pennsylvania to earn her Master of Social Work degree. Dani returned in 2019 from South Asia, where she volunteered with International Justice Mission, learned to tolerate spicy food and cross the roads without being hit.