Will This Coming Year Be Good?
If you are like me, your friends seem to be ready for 2016 to end. There have been several famous people who have passed away, and some of us have also had people close to us end their time on earth. This year has been full of political craziness, terrorist’s attacks, and brutal violence in Aleppo. Refugees have been a big issue with millions of people evacuating their homes and have a hard time finding a place to land. A multitude of bad things happened this year, so it is easy to understand why so many are ready for it to end.
Will 2017 be a good year or a bad year? It is hard to say looking forward. What determines whether a year will be good or not? Does it all happen by chance? Is it all God’s sovereignty? Do we have any part in whether or not it will be good?
How Can We Make This Coming Year Great?
For the sake of argument, let’s say that some combination of all three is at play. If this is so, what part do we really have? How can we make this coming year be good?
What would you like to see happen? Would you like a raise? Would you like a new house? … a new car? … a new job? Would you like to see improvement in your relationships? Do you want to enjoy life more? Maybe you want to feel closer to God?
Are there steps you can take to help make any of these happen? Of course. Those steps may not make them happen, but they could sure help you out.
4 Easy Steps to Making This Coming Year Amazing
1. Write Out Your Goals
I don’t remember who said this first, but if you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it. If there are things you would like to see happen this year, don’t be afraid to write out those goals. Use a sheet of paper, and write quickly. You can go back and think through them after they are down.
I understand there is a fear that getting too motivated behind goals may feel like a set up to failure. What if they don’t happen? But, by not writing down the goals, mean you don’t want to see them happen? No, you want to see those goals take place. However, by not stating the goals and focusing on making them happen, you are making it harder to reach those goals and those securing future frustration of not meeting what you want.
2. Tell a Friend What Your Goals Are
This is actually a scary step for some people. If you tell someone what you want to see happen, they could think you are prideful, delusional, or a failure if it doesn’t happen. Still, telling someone else helps make the goal more real. Yes, you are going after something you want.
By telling them, you may even notice that it is not something you want afterall. Talking it through with someone else may help you know that you don’t want that promotion, you really want a new job. Talking it out, helps you bring clarity to what you really want.
Use this time to discuss the ‘why’ of each goal you put on the list. These ‘whys’ could help bring greater clarity to what God is bubbling up in your heart.
3. Come Up With A Practical Step
Once you write out your goals, are there any practical steps you can take to making it happen? You may not know all the steps necessary, but you more than likely no one step to get you closer. Take each goal one step at a time.
The purpose of these steps is to take the scary dream and make it doable. If your goal is to write a book, a step of writing 10 pages a week can make it seem possible.
4. Pray About These Goals
Prayer also helps bring clarity to what you want and helps you know the right steps to get there. Prayer opens you up to doors God wants you to notice. God wants to partner with you in your life. He has a plan for your life and likes to make you think you came up with it.
God’s Part In Making Good
As Christians, we understand most of our lives are directed by God’s sovereignty. We are more likely to default to His control and neglecting our role in the plan. No matter how big a role God plays in our future, He has given us prayer to affect how those plans come about.
Let’s have confidence as we come to God. He wants to hear from us. He calls us His friends. He thinks we are important. And, He wants to involve us in how our lives unfold.
What is The Role of Chance?
This is a hard thing for many of us to comprehend. There does seem to be things that just seem to happen, but isn’t that just God’s sovereignty? Did God make that deer run in front of your car that you hit? Does God cause that person to jump in front of you in line when you are in a hurry? Maybe. I don’t know.
Does God cause a child find a gun in the house and accidentally shoot his friend? Does God make a nation’s leader turn on his citizens systematically killing them off? Is it God that gave your loved one cancer? Those are most definitely not Him.
We have an enemy that doesn’t like us. We have other people on this earth that have freedom to make powerful decisions. Can we have an impact on any of this? Surprisingly, we have a great effect on these as well.
Let’s Make This Coming Year Amazing
Let us know forget how powerful a weapon we have in prayer. We also have the armor of God that can withstand the attacks of the enemy. We have salvation, truth, peace, love, God’s word, and prayer. We are powerful in determining what type of year we will have.
Ask God for help in planning out goals for this year and you will determine those things He wants to accomplish. If you have a hard time hearing from Him, look for those things you really want and move forward with them unless you feel God stopping you. God wants good things for you. He wants to make this coming year the best year yet for you.