New Year, New Lens: Moving Toward Spiritual Maturity
I’m not normally one to make resolutions. I often decide the last week in December that I should set out to do something in the upcoming year, and last year was no different. I decided at the eleventh hour to sign up for a fitness program and that I was going to read through the Bible in one year. Honestly, I decided to do both for personal gain; to make ME feel better about myself.
My husband recently sent me a meme of a little boy playing a guitar and screaming. The caption read: Wrote a song called 2020 it goes something like this, “AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
While I had a good chuckle, I couldn’t help but think of how many times I threw up my hands, wanting to scream “aaaaah!” It became harder and harder to focus on my “resolutions” when I began eating my way through quarantine and reading the Bible only as a way to try and make myself feel better about the state of the world. Clearly I was going about this all wrong!
In just a few days the calendar will bring us to a new year, and while I believe many Christians feel hopeful (I know I do!), I don’t think it will be as easy to leave 2020 behind as it has been to move on from years past. There seem to be questions still left unanswered and heavy feelings still lingering in many hearts as we face a future where global health, social injustices and politics are at the forefront of many minds.
So, how can we make 2021 different?
Christians in the early church also lived in a time full of tension. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus to encourage them in their faith; to remind them of who they were in Christ, and to respond to that gift by living their lives in a way that was different than how the world lived. “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1 (emphasis added)
What would it look like if you set out to make improvements not only for you, but as an act of worship to the God who calls you to walk in the way of love and “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)?
I recently completed an exercise as part of an Advent study (He Is: An Advent Study on the Attributes of God by Becky Kiser p.35) that asks the reader to review different categories and reflect how they “walk” and then ask how they might better strive to imitate God. I thought it would be a helpful resource for you to “check-in” as the new year approaches and to refer to throughout the year as the curveballs begin (because there are bound to be more curveballs in 2021!). Here are some areas for consideration:
Speech (in-person or online): Do you gossip? Speak negatively? Encourage? Spread false or unverified information about another person made in the image of God?
Sights & Sounds: What do you expose your eyes and ears to? TV and movies? Music? News?
Community: Do you make efforts to love the community around you? Are you committed to things that you are only doing out of obligation, or that are taking you away from your calling?
Outreach: Are you are stuck in a Christian bubble? Do you know lost people? Do you serve people willingly and often? How is your posture toward the oppressed/marginalized?
Health & Wellness: How do you take care of yourself? How is your physical body? Your purity? Food intake?
Career & Passion: Do you seek Him for the next steps in your career? Are you brave to do what He gives you? Do you love your co-workers well?
Finances: Are you in debt? Budgeting well? Controlling the desire for greed? Blessing others with what you do have? Buying things to make yourself feel good?
Time with the Lord: How often do you spend time with Jesus? Do you long for it or dread it? Apply it or just check the box? Are you praying regularly and boldly? Do you long for a more intimate relationship with Jesus?
If you are anything like me, 2020 exposed areas in which you have stumbled or struggled. James 1:2-4 explain to us the ripple effect of trials in the life of a Christian: the testing of our faith (trials) produce perseverance, and perseverance allows us to become mature and complete.
What does it look like for you to take what you have experienced in 2020 and allow it to help you mature as a Christian? How can you reflect upon those experiences and “live as a child of the light?” Is there something you need to surrender or “sacrifice” to God?
The author of Hebrews encourages us to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity.” (Hebrews 6:1) While the foundations of our faith are essential, we must ask ourselves the tough questions: when it comes to our faith, are we just focusing on the bare minimum? Does every area of our life reflect our faith? Is it time to move beyond a life of “checking off the boxes” and dive deeper into a more solid understanding of what it means to live for Christ instead of living for ourselves?
There is nothing that you can do to earn your salvation; salvation comes only through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Thanks be to God that we don’t have to work for our eternal reward! Therefore, our response, to God’s free gift of salvation is to live out our faith; to love God and love others; to live as those who are set apart and called holy. It’s not always easy, but through the Holy Spirit transforming our hearts, it is possible.
As you begin to think about what you would like 2021 to look like, I would encourage you to do a few things:
Pray boldly and then be silent. Ask God to show you areas of your life that you can focus on in 2021. If you feel you need something specific, be honest. Then be patient and listen. Rinse and repeat as often as needed.
Open your Bible. You can’t know God’s will if you don’t know God’s heart. Challenge yourself to move beyond devotionals that pick and choose verses simply meant for encouragement and get to know God in a more intimate way. (Devotionals are not a bad thing, but if you are looking to dig deeper it is important to sit with ALL of scripture, not just the parts that make you feel good).
Take obedient action. As God begins to lay things on your heart, as you begin to learn more about God and what it means to live as a child of light, you may find that you need to repent or take a step that feels uncertain. Trust that true dependence on the Lord often means that you cannot see what lies next, but you can always know that he is with you.
The year 2021 is sure to have its own “AAAAAH!” moments, but for the Christian, it also promises to be filled with God’s goodness, grace and mercy because of the gift of salvation through Jesus. We have a hope and joy that far exceeds anything this world has to offer. My prayer is that you would not feel guilt, shame or condemnation for any part of your past, but that you can joyfully walk into 2021 resting in the peace Jesus offers you as you take the next step toward spiritual maturity.
May God bless each and every one of you in this new year!