New Year’s resolutions are tough for me. As the promise of a new year stretches out like a blank canvas, I’m sometimes hesitant to make a tall list of resolutions. If I’ve had a great year, I wonder can I have another great year? Aren’t I due for something to go wrong? You know what they say… you’re either in a storm, just out of a storm, or about to head into a storm. 

If my year wasn’t great, yet wasn’t terrible either, I can find myself feeling indifferent about making any resolutions at all. It feels effortless to hang in the balance of a great year and a tough year so I can ease any pressures of possible disappointment.

If I’ve lived through a hard year, as eager as I am to change it, the weight of its adversity can often crush my hopes that this next one will be any better. 

And sometimes the idea of spring boarding into the next year determined to achieve a list of goals, is cut short by the fact that I’m a realist. As a realist, I know the chances of me still on target with my goals come January 31st are slim to none.

Maybe you can resonate with any of these or all of these when it comes to making resolutions for the new year. If so, how can we make a plan for this next year and stick with it?

What if this coming year we resolute to skip the resolutions and intentionally seek a deeper relationship with God instead? No matter where we are on our spiritual walk, neither one of us has arrived, so there’s always room to grow into a deeper relationship with our Creator. In fact, He’s hoping we will. 

Rather than making a list of goals that risk being hijacked around mid-January, we share our heart’s desires with God and seek His will for our lives this next year. He knows our needs whether they’re physical, emotional, mental, and especially spiritual. 

So how do we begin?

Several years back when I was determined to grow into a deeper relationship with God, I made a point to spend time with Him daily by reading a devotion and then digging into Scripture with the verse that went along with it. It became a morning routine I craved, and it’s still the most exciting part of my day. Actually, I feel a deep void in my day when something robs this time.

So beginning in this first week of the new year, try spending 15 minutes a day with God. This 15 minutes can be easily broken down into a 5-5-5 routine: 

During all of this, I pray you listen for His voice. Like any relationship, it’s a two-way street. God is near and His Spirit dwells within you to help you cultivate this deeper friendship. Ask Him to lead and guide you, show and teach you, and reveal to you what it is He wants you to see. 

And if you find yourself skipping a day or two because life happens, please don’t give up. Keep planning to commit day by day. Give yourself at least 30 days to make this a part of your day.  Pretty soon, it will become your routine too and you’ll probably realize your soul yearns for so much more than just 15 minutes. In fact, you just might find yourself talking to God throughout the day like a trusted friend and realizing His design for you and Him all along. 

Friend, I can’t promise what this next year is going to look like for either one of us. I know we’re both praying for a great year for not only ourselves but for our families and friends too. But there is a promise I can make to you. I promise if you commit to spending time with God daily, YOU WILL cultivate a much deeper relationship with Him by the end of 2024. And no matter how the next 365 days pan out for you, you will have a great, life-changing year growing in both wisdom and faith as you get to know God personally. 

Will you join in the 5-5-5 routine? I’m so passionate about this and believe in its worth for your life so much that I don’t want you to miss out on it. It will be the best end-of-year decision you will ever make.