By looking back, decide what to take forward
We’re wrapping up what may be for you the most challenging year of your life. What can you take from the experience? Let’s consider this in today’s Points to Ponder.
Your 2020 experience
What a year 2020 has been: a time of a world-wide virus, supply and demand surprises, political and social unrest, financial challenges and loss. So many things that you could not control …
What have you learned about yourself from your 2020 experience? Perhaps for you, it’s also been a year of slowing down, reflecting, and meditating on what matters most. Today’s a great day to dig deeper into what you’ve learned, so you can decide what you want to take forward into the New Year.
- No. 1: Consider what you’ve learned …As you’ve experienced the things that were happening around you in 2020, how did you react? What did it feel like on the inside? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? What coping mechanisms did you try? What worked? What didn’t work?
- No 2: Choose what to leave behind …Once you’ve reflected on a few of these questions and noted your answers, you’re ready for the next step. Review what you learned: Take stock. Notice your habits or the ways you reacted to this year’s challenges. What’s one thing about yourself and your reactions that you want to leave behind in 2020?
- No 3: Decide what to take forward …This year, you may have learned more about yourself than ever before. Now, you get to pick what you believe is the best part of your learning, and take that habit or mindset forward with you into your New Year. What’s your one thing?
It’s not the first time
2020 wasn’t the first time in history that people have experienced challenge after challenge. In Habakkuk, the prophet writes about how he was living in the day of trouble because God sent the Chaldeans to judge Judah. You can read about it in Habakkuk 1:5-11.
Despite all he was experiencing, Habakkuk kept his eyes on the Lord God, who was his strength, and he said in chapter 3 verse 18: “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
May your joy in the Lord comfort you always, in your days of trouble and your days of peace … Thanks for joining me. I’ll see you next Tuesday, as we chat more about Points to Ponder.