Well, we’re on day 13 of the new year. That means about 75% of people making New Year’s Resolutions have already failed miserably!
If you’ve already fallen off your wagon you might want to consider writing a life-plan.
Last year I pointed people to Brian Howard’s blog to learn “How To Write a Life-Plan.”
- I do like to use the new year to evaluate where we’re at in life. I like to ask how I (and we as a family) am doing and assess any changes that need to be made. I probably like that approach better than having 1 or 2 huge resolutions. It may be that I need the goals to be very applicable and broken down into very concrete, practical steps that can be seen on a daily and weekly schedule.
- As stated earlier, I think people who stick to resolutions are very disciplined, but for me, it helps to have a main area or category of life that I want to see growth in (spiritual life, marriage, parenting, serving others, relationships, health, finances, etc) and then have specific, concrete steps in order to implement change. (Brian also has a good tool for assessing and evaluating the past and upcoming year here.)
As Brian stated in his Life Plan guide, instead of “Lose Weight,” which is general and broad, I need to have specific targets that fit into my weekly schedule like “Exercise for 45 minutes on 4-5 days each week.”
Instead of “Great Marriage,” which is merely pie-in-the-sky thinking without the diligence and hard work to better our marriage, I need specifics like, “I will have a date night each week or at least every other week,” and “I will pray with Jamie 4-5 nights each week.” I need to first take the time to evaluate areas that need growth and then implement specific steps to move towards that growth.
At New Beginnings, we are working hard at developing a process for discipleship and implementing steps for everyone at every level of spiritual maturity and faith. Let this tool help you personally in your faithfulness as a steward in Christ’s Kingdom.
{Disclaimer: Some people may feel that being this intentional and purposeful (whether in life plans, spiritual parenting or setting goals for the mission of the church) is a form of legalism. For some people, that may be the case, but you have to know for yourself whether you’re a person who leans more towards legalism or more towards freedom. These are not rules, but tools to help. And for me, all of this flows out of being a faithful steward of captivating grace.}
Sankie P. Lynch
www.nbchurch.info
www.nbfamilies.info
sankie@nbchurch.info
No comments:
Post a Comment