There’s less than two weeks until 2020 begins. 2019 has been a hard year for our family, but there’s been plenty worth celebrating and being thankful for, and to do that requires slowing down.
Our hurried world rarely gives us time to slow down and stop, particularly during the holiday season when we’re all running from work to Christmas shopping to the early Christmas with one side of the family to the work Christmas party to baking the obligatory Christmas cookies too…well, you get the idea.
But these last 13 days of 2019 are valuable and not something to be filled in mindlessly, particularly if you want this next year to fulfill God’s hopes and dreams for you. There are two things you need to do before 2020 starts. Neither are hard, but both take the hard work of creating space for peace and quiet in the midst of a busy season.
Review your 2019
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
Psalm 143:5
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
Psalm 103:2
Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you…These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.
Joshua 4
As followers of Jesus we’re called to take time to remember and give thanks to God for all that he’s done.Set aside at least twenty minutes in the next two weeks to look back over your year. Pay attention to recurring themes, great moments and memories, and things you learned. A helpful tool for sparking your memory is to skim back through your social media (but don’t get distracted!) or journal.
Three questions to answer:
As you skim back through your year, answer the following questions, ideally by writing them out. The practice of writing them out will help your brain process each question more deeply.
1. What did I learn this year?
What did you discover about yourself? About the people around you? About God? Our gracious God is always revealing truth to us. Take the time to put words to what you’ve learned.
2. What was challenging?
Odds are you had some challenges in the past 365 or so days. Maybe, like it was for us, it was a hard year overall. Or maybe there were only a few small dark spots. Regardless, acknowledge the challenges you faced. Don’t minimize them. Give yourself – and God – credit for the hard work you did in facing those challenges and how you grew through it.
3.What am I grateful for?
Even if your year was rife with difficulties there are still things that you can be deeply grateful for. Express this gratitude godward.
Dream for 2020
And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”
Mark 10:51
You do not have, because you do not ask.
James 4:2b
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
Over and over again in his ministry Jesus asks people what they want and commands his disciples to pray for what they want to the Father. Do you know what you want for 2020? Start the new year with the end in mind. God has purpose for you in 2020, and you have the responsibility to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading and pursue his calling on your life.
Set aside another 20 minutes (ideally immediately or shortly after your 2019 review) to pray and dream for the coming year.
Prayerfully ask the following three questions:
1. Who do I want to be?
Who is God calling you to become as 2020 progresses? What gifts has he given you that you can use and strengthen? What weakness and sin is he saying he wants to restore and heal?
2. What do I want to be true?
Set some goals for the new year. These aren’t resolutions. They are dreams and goals that you will intentionally work towards. When I’m sitting down to think this through I think in three major categories: personal, family, and ministry. What do I want to be true about my personal health? About my personal spiritual walk? What do I want to be true about Kelly and I’s marriage? About our parenting? What do I want to be true about the ministries we help lead?
3. What do I need to do in the first 90 days to start towards that dream?
Here’s where you move from theory into practice. For a goal to become a reality you need to act on it, and it’s crucial to act now rather than later. Practice writing SMART goals and identifying one specific thing you’ll do to move towards each of your goals within the first 90 days of the new year.
I’ve heard plenty of jokes about how we’re all going to have perfect eyesight next year. Probably won’t happen. But 2020 can be the year where you start with a clear vision of who God is calling you to be, what you want to do, and how you’re going to do it. For that to happen requires taking the time to step back, think deeply, write clearly, and act accordingly.
So, when are you going to get it done? Block out time on your calendar in the next 15 days and make it happen. Remember and worship. Look forward, and ask, and plan. You won’t regret it.
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