by: Sandy Domelle
Can you believe we are officially into another year? Every year I sit in disbelief that my year went by so quickly. Where did those months go? The older I get the faster the years seem to pass by. The great thing about a new year is that it’s often a time to push the reset button for many people. Some restart with weight loss, some with projects or even a restart in your Bible reading. One thing I personally try to do each year is to seize my year from the start to grow more spiritually for the Lord. I’m reminded in James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
At the beginning of the year I have friends around me who choose one special word that they are going to focus on for the coming year. Sometimes it’s an area where they need to reboot themselves and sometimes it’s an area where they need to grow in more.
I’m often asked what my word is for the year. Me, I’m not a “word for the year” type of girl. I guess it’s because when I start out my day in God’s Word, He gives me a word, thought, or phrase that sticks with me throughout that very day. Because that truth sticks with me, it makes me excited for what truth I will get tomorrow. When you seize your day by asking the Lord before you start reading your Bible to give you something you need just for that day, He always provides. If you feel you aren’t getting something out of your Bible reading, ask the Holy Spirit to work in you as you read. I may be reading in a chapter that has a lot of the lineage of family names, but that’s why I don’t just read in one area of my Bible. I read my regular Bible reading for the day, but I always read a Psalm and Proverbs too. That way I have a few areas from which to glean. I ask the Lord for wisdom before I read so that I will get just what will help me that very day.
It’s no surprise as you look at the social networking realm how much you see women saving articles on how to be a better wife, how to train your children, how to be a better parent, etc. I think those are areas in which all of us want to strive to be our best. I’ve learned one thing, when I seize my year and I focus on being the best Christian, wife and mother I can be, God always gives me truths that help me grow in those areas. I love it when I’ve read something that I feel I need to focus on a little more, and then I go to church and the preacher reiterates the truth the Lord just gave me. When we ask the Holy Spirit to work, He will!
When we seize something, we capture it! Have you seized your year? Have you determined what you will accomplish spiritually for yourself and for the Lord?
How can we spiritually seize our year?
First, by realizing that a year is made up of days. Too many of us focus on the whole year and in the midst of that year, we lose sight of the importance of each day we live. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” So much will happen in your life this year, if we look at it as a whole it could be overwhelming. Knowing that much of it is spread throughout the year helps us keep things balanced and helps us look forward to one event at a time. To some, a year can become very long and wearisome. We have to remember to focus on what God has for today so that we don’t lose sight of our goals.
Second, we seize the year by seeing that it is made of actions. We perform actions throughout each day that affect our year. Will you be someone who loses a marriage this year because of your actions? Will you be someone who gets out of church this year because you gradually quit attending? Better yet, are you going to give up on standing strong in what you believe and drop your standards this year? Why I dress right, live right, and do the things of the Lord are all based on principles I have learned from the Bible. Daily I grow stronger in the Lord by my action of spending time with Him, but it only takes one bad day to decide you aren’t going to fight for right!
Third, we seize the year by seeing it is made up of attitudes. Psalm 118:24,“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” As a wife and mother our attitude affects the whole house. Daily we need to keep our attitude right so that we don’t destroy or defeat the spirit of those in our household. Maybe your child is struggling in a certain area and your griping and ungrateful spirit will wear on them. Then you wonder why your child has a rebellious spirit and you can’t get through to them. Pray for a good attitude towards things each day. There will be times we fail, but if we claim this daily we have more of a chance of succeeding.
Fourth, we seize the year by seeing it is made up of routines. We have routines of getting up at the same time, working, accomplishing things in our home, etc. But we also have spiritual routines that we don’t want to neglect. Attending church, going soul winning, reading our Bible, praying and spending time with the Lord, all of which are things we know we should do from God’s Word. I know some people who get behind on their Bible reading. Don’t quit reading your Bible because you get behind, pick up today where you left off and decide you will get something for today!
Fifth, we seize the year by seeing it is made up of time. Your time with your family is important. Don’t let outside things creep into your schedule and steal that one-on-one time with your spouse and your children. We can get so busy with work, social networking and hobbies that it robs our time from our family and we begin to grow apart. Likewise, don’t let outside things take you away from your time of serving the Lord.