How can I make 2015 a Happy New Year?

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Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Because the truth is those resolutions don’t usually last into the second week of January. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s easy to set unrealistic standards and impossible goals when we’re just talking about it. But the actual performing of those things isn’t as easy as the promise we impulsively made to ourselves, is it?

What my husband and I do instead is to look at every part of our lives and try to set some reasonable goals. First we make a list of categories: Physical, Spiritual, Financial, Intellectual, etc. Then we each make a list what would we like to see changed or improved in those categories. After we have our lists, we compare them, identify the ones we have in common and adjust our lists. Finally, we set some goals.

Some goals are mutual, some are individual, and some have to do with our home, our church, and our ministry. We recognize that some goals may need to be adjusted and some may even need to be abandoned. Different categories have different priorities. However, all our goals have one thing in common: They are based on the reality of Jeremiah 29:11. God has a plan for our lives, and “His plan is not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future.”

2014 was a tough year for many people. I have loved ones who were diagnosed with cancer, friends who have lost a child, and others whose marriages didn’t make it into this new year. I’ve even heard people say they were glad 2014 was over. Why that’s a wrong perspective is a whole different blog post, but I understand where they’re coming from. It was a tough year for us too.

Some of the burdens you and I are carrying might make it a challenge for us to look at 2015 with hope and anticipation. But knowing that God has a plan for our life…for this year, this month, this very day…can help us to face whatever comes with hope and courage and maybe even with a new perspective.

A new year…a new beginning. More than that, it can be a new beginning that starts out with a new and strong foundation. That foundation is the sure knowledge that nothing happens in your life and mine without God allowing it. And God only allows those things that are part of His perfect plan for our lives: The plan He has to “prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11)

I don’t know what 2015 holds in store for you or for me. It might be the year our prodigals come home, or it might be a year of new heartbreaks, new fears, new challenges. What I do know, however, is that whatever happens will be part of God’s perfect plan for my life. And trusting that His plan is for my good and His glory is my best chance to make 2015 a “Happy New Year.”

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, chose to believe God’s plan is at work in our lives and in the lives of those we love?