Many people start the New Year with a solemn pledge to lose weight, learn something new or quit bad habits. However, without the proper motivation, these resolutions often fall by the wayside before January is through. Centering your New Year's resolutions around serving God is an excellent way to boost motivation and nurture your faith with God's help. Below, you can find out how to choose faithful New Year's resolutions.
Before you set your New Year's resolutions, consider seeking God's guidance through prayer on what resolutions would best serve Him. Focused prayer can help ensure that any resolutions you make align with God's purpose and give you the time and space to consider new ideas. Once you settle on a resolution, praying for guidance on how best to achieve your aim can increase your focus on your goals and give you the motivation you need to achieve them.
Consider the following faithful resolutions that could help Christians grow their faith in the New Year to get you started.
Regular reading offers a range of benefits for a happy and healthy New Year, and it's also an excellent way to grow your knowledge of Scripture and Christian discourse. Resolving to read a new faith-based book every week or month can provide fresh, diverse perspectives and let you learn from other Christians.
Reading isn't just great for learning new things; it can also reduce stress and can protect against cognitive decline in older adults. Members of the Autumn View Gardens assisted living community in Creve Coeur have many ways to access high-quality books and other texts. The Thornhill Branch of the St. Louis County Library is just a short walk away from the community and hosts a range of online author talks and other learning opportunities. It also offers a homebound service to deliver texts, CDs and other resources to community members who can't attend the library in person.
The importance of helping others in their time of need is one of the Bible's central messages. In Matthew 10, Jesus gives the following instruction to his disciples:
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Christians can fulfill this instruction in their own lives by committing their time and resources to helping others. Resolving to find practical, effective ways to regularly support people is an excellent way to center God in your New Year's resolutions.
Seniors in assisted living communities can support others by providing practical and emotional assistance to other community members. However, you may wish to consider committing some of your time to helping a good cause in the New Year. Online volunteering is ideal for many seniors because it lets them carry out God's work from their assisted living apartments. VolunteerMatch is a great place to find volunteering opportunities, including virtual and in-person positions in the Creve Coeur area.
Making time for regular prayer isn't just a Godly habit; it's a healthy habit, too. The importance of prayer for building a strong relationship with God and weathering life's storms is emphasized throughout the Bible. As a famous passage from James 5:16 puts it:
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Regular prayer has additional benefits, especially for seniors. A 2017 study by academics at Baylor University found that seniors who prayed and reported a sense of closeness with God also reported increased overall well-being and were more likely to make healthy lifestyle choices. Therefore, making time for prayer can help you maintain good physical and mental health, leaving you well-equipped to serve God.
Resolving to pray more often is easy, but following through can be more challenging if you have a busy lifestyle. So, it's worth considering cultivating prayer as a habit so that it assumes its rightful importance in your day-to-day life. Many people find that anchoring prayer sessions around their regular daily activities gives their worship rhythm and makes them less likely to forget to make time for God. For example, you may wish to set aside regular time for prayer as part of your morning routine.
Reading the Bible is an essential activity for Christians because it contains God's guidance for the right way to live. However, it's essential to engage with the text instead of just reading without probing for deeper understanding. If you've been studying the Bible for many years, you may feel stuck in a rut and in need of some inspiration for getting more out of your sessions. New Year's resolutions are a great opportunity to commit to freshening up your Bible study routine.
There are countless ways to gain fresh perspectives on familiar passages. Many Christians find it helpful to read a different Bible translation, as subtle differences can sometimes add extra layers of meaning. Alternatively, consider joining or starting a Bible study group to discuss scripture with others and benefit from more diverse viewpoints. Members of the Autumn View Gardens assisted living community in Creve Coeur can also seek guidance from the on-site chaplain to get suggestions for their Bible study routine or discuss any questions they have about Scripture.
