It’s a new year which means refreshed hope. It’s an opportunity for you to leave last year behind and focus on what is ahead.
Take a while today/this week to sift through all of your memories from last year.
Mourn over the hard ones
The reality is, there were some really difficult moments for you in 2022. Did you go through a lot of fertility testing? Did you receive heart-breaking results? Frustrating comments and questions from others? Baby showers to attend? Pregnancy announcements from others? A miscarriage or still-birth?
Take time to grieve over each one. Let your heart feel the weight of it. Take that sorrow and turn it into a lament. Write those hurts out to God. Share everything on your heart with Him. Then make sure to end your lament with praise. Remind yourself of who God is, in spite of your hard times. He is still worthy of praise. He still loves you. He still cares for you. He is still in control of your life and is fulfilling His good plans for you.
When you’re done, let go of the mourning. I know some things will be harder to do that with, but you need to trust your heart to God. He knows your pain and everything you’ve been through. He wants to comfort and strengthen you. Don’t get stuck in the sorrow, unable to grow. With that being said, I know some things will take longer to heal from. Please be courageous and seek Biblical counselling if needed.
Rejoice over the good ones
Did you and your spouse do anything fun together? Did you go on a vacation? Have a breakthrough in any area of your life? Enjoy success in your work? Tried a new activity? Made a new friend? Started serving in a ministry? Fostered or adopted a child?
If you haven’t already, put pictures up and/or some visual reminders of the great things you experienced last year. Use those to propel you forward and help you plan this year.
What Did the Lord Teach You?
Where did you see the Lord work in your life last year? What did He teach you? What are you grateful for? What characteristic of God stood out to you most? How did He help you in your time of need? How did He provide for you?
Write these out and look back on them when you’re going through hard times this year to remind yourself of the Lord’s faithfulness to you.
What Do You Want to Be Known for this Year?
Are there attributes you’d like to continue to grow in? How do you intend to grow in your relationship with Jesus this year? How about with your spouse? Is there a fertility/adoption option you’d like to inquire more about? Are there opportunities in your community you’d like to explore more? Pause and take time to ask the Lord what He’d like you to do this year. In this you’ll find your greatest purpose and passion. The work you did in processing last year might hold some of the answers for this new year. There may be things you need to leave behind and others you need to invest in more. Because you’ve allowed your heart to become vulnerable in processing these things, you’ll be more connected to the Lord which means He’ll have a greater ability to show you, because you’re listening.
Take your questions to the Lord and wait on Him for an answer. His most favourite way to work is one step at a time, so you may not get any grand answers right now. They may be simple ones which will help you to move in the right direction. By learning to do this with the Lord at the beginning of the year, you’ll know how to check in every so often when you need to do the next step again.
Keep open and willing to learn from Him. That’ll be the best thing you can do this year. Through this, He’ll help you know what you want to be known for this year.
