There is a new year just hours away, and I wonder what it will hold. My mind entertains dozens of possibilities that converge on one hope. I hope the new year will be better than the last. Every year, there is that particular wish. No matter what came the year before, at the end of every year, the one ahead of it is ripe with untold opportunity. However, sometimes that gets distorted. It becomes a list of to-dos, projects, and changes I think will somehow improve life. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I drag my faith behind me as I lead the charge in constructing this “better” thing in my imagination, just waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that I can put it into practice.
With last year pushing me to confront some of my deepest struggles, I have seen my frailty in a new way. Instead of running from it, I was forced to sit with it. The difficulty brought by a global pandemic, prolonged isolation through quarantine, and all that has resulted pushed my faith like never before. I am better for it. Not that it wasn’t difficult, it was. But as I look to the coming year, I am acutely aware that I am not in control and I am weak when I rely on myself. Instead, I shift my gaze. I was drawn to the words of Christ when I did so.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-14
These words are filled with promises that are now active for every believer. The Spirit of Truth has come and is in every disciple of Christ. He guides us in all the truth, speaking to our hearts the things of God. He will glorify Christ and lead us in bringing honor to His name. While this is by no means a New Year’s promise from Scripture, these words fill my heart today as I anticipate what’s ahead. They urge me to rest and rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance and remind me that the life I want is the one that glorifies God at every level.
For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6
As the new year looms, I pray that the Spirit leads me and help me submit to God in all I do. I pray that my heart and mind be focused on the things of the Spirit and my words and actions be transformed by the Word of the Lord. This year I want to be a person whose mind is set on spiritual matters as I allow the things of God to take priority in my life.
How do you want this new year of your life to be marked? What truth are you holding on to? What promises is God speaking to your heart?