Embracing the New Year with Hope and Renewal

In this episode of The Crosswalk Devotional, we tackle the question that often arises as the new year begins: "Now what?" After the excitement of new resolutions fades, how do we maintain our momentum and purpose? Together, we’ll explore how to set realistic goals that align with our faith, the importance of prayer in our planning, and ways to stay accountable in our spiritual journey. Let’s discover how to embrace the opportunities this new year holds while remaining anchored in God’s Word.

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Full Transcript Below:

New Year, Now What?

By Vivian Bricker

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” - Ephesians 4:22-24 

Now that the New Year has arrived it is difficult to know where to go from here. The twinkling lights of Christmas have been packed up and we are sitting back at our work desk again. The dark, winter month of January has only begun and all we want to do is go back to Christmas Day. Most years I feel exactly like this, yet I know that I cannot return to the week prior. 

I have to move on—and so do you.

When we leave the previous year behind, we need to see the new year as a new start. We are no longer bound to the events of the past year. Instead, we can start fresh. Maybe this means making New Year resolutions, but maybe this means something different this year. Personally, I don’t believe in New Year resolutions as it is impossible to uphold them throughout the year. Once we feel we have failed, we give up on them. 

Therefore, it is more beneficial to look at the new year in a different way. We can either choose to deem this year already a “bad year” or we can try to make the most of it. This can be hard, especially when it is cold and dreary, but there are things we can do to make the cold winter months a bit more bearable. Most of us have jobs either in person or at home, therefore, we can decorate our work desks to be a bit more cheerful.

Letting in some natural light can do wonders or placing a flower vase on our desk can add a pop of color. Even these little things can make us see the new year in a different light. We don’t need to allow the darker days of January to make us think the rest of the year will be this hard. Instead, we can look forward to participating in winter activities, such as ice skating, skiing, or even staying at home under the covers reading a book. 

With this new year, we need to fight against the urge to automatically dismiss it as going bad. It’s only the first month of the year and many beautiful things can happen this year that we don’t even know about yet. This calls us to trust in God and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). January is not a defining tool for the rest of the year and we need to let go of any post-Christmas sadness. 

Once we let go of this, we will be able to take hold of the new year. This is something that I’m learning to do, so we can do this together. Taking hold of this new year looks like letting the old year go and moving forward. We need to always be pushing forward in order not to fall back in our Christian walk with the Lord (Philippians 3:13-14). 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

The Apostle Paul tells us, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Our former year needs to be put away and we need to put on the new year with confidence. 

With this new year, we can become more dedicated followers of the Lord. By putting away the evil desires we once had, we can be made new in the attitudes of our minds. This is all part of the transforming work of God. Maybe last year wasn’t a good year for Christian growth or for life in general. See this new year as a chance to start over. 

This present year can be an opportunity to put on the new self, which is created to be like God in all of His righteousness and holiness. By pushing forward and continuing to fight the good fight, you will grow in your faith. Even though this new year starts with a dreary January, it might turn into your best year yet. Follow God faithfully and trust Him with the rest.

Further Reading:

Jeremiah 29:11

2 Corinthians 5:17

1 Timothy 6:12

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