5 Story Questions for the New Year
Does the new year seem like old news to you by now?
We have long since toasted the new year with champagne or fizzy grape juice, watched a ball or bird drop somewhere, and cheered (or yelled) ourselves hoarse over now-nearly-forgotten football games. We’ve eaten our collards, pork, and black-eyed peas, made our resolutions, and already broken many, if not all of them.
I resist making resolutions, because for me, they usually mean “things I will accomplish through my determined will and human effort,” and that’s a complete setup for disaster. Instead, I think about stories.
Why we should mark our stories in the new year:
This time of year is a great one for marking our stories, remembering where we have been, thinking about where we are now, and considering where we are going. As we view what God has done in our lives through the year(s), some general themes start to emerge. We remember our purpose and calling, one of which is as The Message puts it, “Go after love as if your life depended on it, because it does.” (I Cor. 14:1).
Consider these five questions as this chapter of a new year begins:
- What events have happened in my life and in my heart in the last year? What tragedy and/or redemption do I see?
- Where am I now? Think emotionally, spiritually, circumstantially.
- What might God have for me in the coming year or years? What new freedoms in Christ might I experience?
- Who are the people who will support and encourage me as I step into these hopes and dreams?
- How must I depend on the Holy Spirit to act in grace? How may God be glorified?
I’d love to hear how you answer some of these questions. Please share them in the comments or join me on my Facebook page, Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, Author, for discussion.
A Prayer about Living in God’s Story of Grace
Lord, you know our hearts inside and out. You designed us for your glory even before we were born. In your son, Jesus, you have re-created us to do good works (Eph. 2:10). By your Spirit, we ask you to reveal your plan for us and empower us to “go after love as if our life depended on it” (1 Cor. 14:1, MSG). Amen.