2019 is going to be big! Why you ask? Whats happening that is going to somehow make 2019 better than all the years before it? Nothing’s changing, not really. We aren’t all going to be suddenly rich this year. All our problems aren’t all going to suddenly be magically solved, sorted out and tied up with a nice little ribbon for us. We aren’t all going to finally get that one thing we’ve always wanted. So, if none of those things are happening, then what’s going to make 2019 so great? Maybe nothing in our outward lives is going to change, but this year our mindset is.
Lately, goal setting and making 2019 the best year possible have been a major topic. It’s all apart of the New Year’s spirit, making New Year’s resolutions, goals about the things in our life we want to make better or change. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with making goals, but if I’ve learned anything from making New Year’s resolutions in the past, it’s that I rarely, if ever, complete them, or even try to.
It seems straightforward enough. There’s something in my life I want to change. I make a goal and set a deadline, but then I give up or forget about it right away, and of course, I fail to complete that goal. At this rate, nothing will ever get better, and 2019 is right on track to being no better or worse than 2018.
So what needs to change?
Not the goals I set.
Not the deadlines I set for myself.
The thing is, in order to complete goals, we have to change the way we go about completing them. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
When we make large goals, maybe to have a better attitude in 2019, or to fix a broken relationship, if we try to complete those goals on our own strength, they are not going to be completed in the way we want them to be. We’re going to need some supernatural strength on our sides.
So, when we set goals, we have to change our mindset. We have to stop looking at completing our goals as a one man job, and instead look at our goals as something we are going to complete with the help of God. Only then will we be able to meet those goals, make things better, and change our lives.
As we make goals for 2019, let’s keep in mind that we’re not going to be meeting those goals on our own. God is going to be there with us every step of the way, and with His strength, we can make 2019 the best year ever!
-Savannah Moore