There's something about the unfolding of a year that causes us to reflect. We look back at where we've been, where we want to go, and the journey to get there. With that in mind, I want to ask you a question. Are you headed into this new season just focused on what you see in plain sight, or are you daring to enter this new year with a new, bigger vision?
2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.”
When we shift from looking at the temporary and we shift over to the perspective of the unseen, the eternal, that's where we find the stuff that lasts, the stuff that gives us purpose and meaning in this world.
2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.”
When we shift from looking at the temporary and we shift over to the perspective of the unseen, the eternal, that's where we find the stuff that lasts, the stuff that gives us purpose and meaning in this world.
3 Questions to check your perspective
- Do you see your new years resolutions as gifts? I use the word resolution but you can use the words dream, hope, or life goal. What is that thing you want to improve or fix? Do you see it as a gift before you figure out how to improve it?
Let me give you an example. A lot of our resolutions are around our bodies. We want to drink more water. We want to work out more or lose some weight, etc. But what if before you made that resolution to fix anything you started by acknowledging our bodies are a gift.
The same is true for whatever your resolution, whether it's around your marriage, your kids, your vocation, or your side hustle. What if you first started thanking God for that good gift? What would change if you started the New Year? Reframe these resolutions as good gifts before you decide to change them.
- Do you see your new years resolutions as spiritual? You could be thinking that your goal is to read more books or save money or use all your vacation time. What does that have to do with spirituality? Well, too often we separate a spiritual bucket out. You have a marriage bucket, a vacation bucket, an education bucket, and a kids bucket. All these different things you want to accomplish. But they all fit into the spiritual bucket. Because God is not stuck in one place. He's not just stuck in the Bible. Whenever I read it or in the chair that I read it in, he's not stuck in church, which is really good news, because if you are a believer, God exists within you and goes wherever you go.
We try to add God in and He doesn't fit because we're so busy. It's one more thing. What if you realized God isn't something to add in? He's already in and your opportunity to experience him is your perspective and your choice.
- Do you see your new years resolutions as gifts to steward? If these gifts are from God; if they are spiritual, did God just give me all these things for my name, my success, to make money, to be comfortable, to look good? I think this can be the danger of new years resolutions. We think they exist to make us better. But as Jesus' followers, what we have doesn't exist to make us better. It exists to make him better, to make him bigger, to make him more beautiful in the world. These gifts that we have, they're not ours to own or to cling to tightly. They're ours to steward, to give back, to give away, to partner with God, to make it on Earth as it is in heaven. So let me ask, when you see your resolutions, do you see them as gifts to steward?
If you accomplish all these resolutions in this calendar year, what spiritual difference would they make in your home, your workplace, and your community? Often we set our goals this time of year looking at earthly things, and we unknowingly settle for what we see in plain sight. But what we see in plain sight is fleeting. It's temporary. And it's a constant, insatiable desire for more and better and improvement. It's exhausting. It doesn't lead to the fullness of life that you were created for, and you were created for the fullness of life. But it's found in your perspective to see the unseen, to open your eyes, to see the supernatural, love, and mission all around you.
Next Steps
Receive the good gifts your God has given you because you are ridiculously loved. Open your eyes to see the supernatural every single day. You take a breath and you give it back to God and you work with him to make it on earth as it is in Heaven.