The New Year

By: Mikey Pesqueda

​Finally the new year has arrived! It’s that fresh start that everyone looks to at the end of every year. I’ll do better on that diet, I’m going to read the Bible more, or we’re going to go to church more often. These and more are the goals we end up setting for ourselves for the new year.

 We set these goals with the intention of being a better person, looking better, or feeling better. Even though these goals are not bad in themselves, when we fail at these goals sometimes we just end up giving up all together. Goals aren’t bad either but most of our goals are me-centered. I will do a better job, I will run more, or I will read more. Before we get to the new year, I think what would be a better question would be, how can my pursuit of knowing God be amplified this year?

Knowing God in the New Year
While all goals aren’t bad, the main goal of every year should be to be able to look back at a year of faithfulness and obedience. Knowing God more should be the goal of every year. Think of how you can seek to know God more this year. Seek to figure out the idols in your life that are holding you and your family back from knowing him more. Make sure your goals don’t revolve around being a better you but revolve around knowing God. The new year can be a reflecting point of where we have let our run to Christ be distracted by other things in the old year. Maybe sports, family vacations, or a building project has distracted you from knowing God more in the past year. Those things will still be around in the new year but pray for the strength from God to not let your year be determined by those things.
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Failures of the New Year
Believers should naturally want a thriving relationship with God but that doesn’t just happen nor does a new year give us the strength to finally see that through. Some of us are waiting for a clean slate to pursue God and that’s why we wait until the new year but if you are in Christ then you have a new slate everyday. Christ has cleansed you and redeemed you! Don’t put your hope in yourself to do better but pursue to know Christ more. If you pursue Christ you will learn not to lean on yourself but to lean on him. I pray that this next year we will have thirst and hunger for God!