Every New Year is exciting! As each year comes to a close it’s always good to look back at the previous year's ups and downs, mistakes, accomplishments, and even all those fun and memorable moments that have taken place throughout those last 365 days. One thing is for sure, with the passing of each year means one more year we cannot relive. With that being said, it is so important for us to reflect, learn, and think ahead for an upcoming year. We can utilize the natural starting point of a New Year to help us continue moving in the right direction, not just as individuals, but also as families. I’m going to briefly touch on a few good “resolutions” that would benefit every family. When the family unit is moving in the right direction so will our churches and even our nation.
A good New Year goal for a family would be to grow spiritually together! The family unit can be the best “small group” experience when it comes to learning and growing together. Sometimes it may feel awkward to just randomly bring up spiritual matters as family, so I would encourage you to be creative in ways to grow spiritually as a family.
Most of us learn a lot by examples, observation, and doing things! Utilize these proactive methods to grow as a family. God is always revealing Himself to us in so many ways; look for God showing you something all the time. Some ideas for families would be to look for ways to serve together! Make and deliver a meal as a family, or set aside a Saturday to help out a neighbor with yard work. During activities like this there will be natural conversation to talk about why we serve together and how Jesus became a servant. Make it fun to serve each other together at home! Be sure to go outdoors as a family this year! Seeing God’s creation and enjoying it together can open up all kinds of doors to talk about God, how big He is, and how we are part of His big creation and plan. There are so many different ways we can grow together as families; we just need to look a little harder for all the opportunities around us. Spend as much time as possible together, talk, ask questions, and pray together (not just at meals). Have fun in the car by singing together to the Lord! If you have some good ideas that help your family grow spiritually together then share them with others, and on the other hand don’t be afraid to ask other families how they are growing together spiritually. Grow with other families!
We need to as adults teach our children by example what it means to have a growing personal relationship with God. Children learn a ton by observing how we talk to each other, how we react to situations, and how we love God and others. A good New Years resolution for all of us would definitely be to focus on our personal relationship with God and then looking for creative and natural ways to grow spiritually as a family. Spend time together, enjoy each other, talk, and have fun!