The Christians definition of how we define “success” in a year usually falls alongside worldly goals. It’s easy to create New Year’s resolutions. They are the sum of all things that happened the previous year we didn’t do. It’s also the compilation of things we want to stop doing. It’s human to look at what is quantifiable. Here is usually how we evaluate a year in review:
- We count how many “wins” we had during the year, not reviewing what we’ve learned from failures.
- We define success on what we’re able to buy during the Christmas season, not current blessings.
- We evaluate God’s response rather than his present provisions.
How do we break this?
It begins in the Spiritual realm. We have to retrain our minds to look at the bigger picture. It’s not what happened or didn’t happen, it’s where God has us, and his care and covering over us. It’s a difficult area of thought because our humanity wants to achieve our goals. As Believers, it should always be the priority to live our lives to give God the glory. As we slowly exit another year, let’s focus on how we can do that:
- Start your conversations with what God has done for you. Give thanks.
- Gifts? List God’s blessings to you and your family.
- How were you able to help others?
- What happened that made God’s provision for your life more than words?
Keeping a Godly perspective is hard. Sharing that perspective is harder. The hardest thing to do at the end of the year is to reflect with a perception that doesn’t forget 2017 but gives God the glory for it. The Christian definition of success begins and ends with God.
