This past Sunday we discussed the wisdom of both being retrospective of your past and setting goals for your future. One simple pattern is to reflect and plan around four key areas of spiritual formation: 1) Worship, 2) Walk, 3) Work, and 4) Witness.
Begin by thinking back over the past year. How did you do in each of these four areas? What were your highs and lows? Your biggest challenges and setbacks. Where did you fail and where did you succeed? Then proceed to thinking ahead about the year before you. What will you do differently? Where do you want to see growth? What do you want to stop and start doing? Stay away from abstractions and vague generalities. Try to be as specific, concrete, and action-oriented as possible.
First, a Retrospective.
How did you worship?
- What occupied your mind when you had nothing else to think about? What did your thoughts go back to over and over?
- Look at how you spent your money.
- What was your real, daily functional salvation? What did you live for? What made you feel alive, validated, successful?
- Look at your most uncontrollable emotions. What made you livid, despondent, terrified, ashamed – deeply and repeatedly?
How did you walk?
- Who/what did you follow as a trusted guide?
- What path or trajectory are you on? What are you closer to, and what are you further away from, than a year ago?
- What are the 3-5 primary attributes that summarize your life? What would others who know you best say?
How did you work?
- What work did you do? What basic roles/tasks did you give yourself to?
- Who/what was the beneficiary of your work? Who was your work done for?
- How do you show up in your work? What attributes and attitudes would you say characterized your work?
- What were your biggest successes and failures in your work?
How did you witness?
- What were others encouraged to learn about God or think about God based on the way you lived your life?
- Who/what did your life promote as worthy of other people’s time, money, and attention? What did you urge others to see/hear?
- How did you intentionally share the Gospel through your words? How did you intentionally illustrate the Gospel through your actions?
Second, a Plan.
We’ll share some additional questions below, but before you come to those, you can simply review the previous sections substituting “How will I?” for “How did I?” Then make each of the questions future tense instead of past tense.
How will you worship?
- Who/what will have the first place in your heart?
- Who/what will you ascribe praise to?
- Who/what will be your decisive validator?
- Who/what will you effortlessly give your resources to?
How will you walk?
- What will you put off?
- What will you put on?
- Who/what will you follow and imitate?
How will you work?
- How can you work for the glory of God?
- How can contribute to God’s purposes in the world?
- How can you invest in the good of others?
- How can you work for the redemption of God’s world?
How will you witness?
- How will you call attention to the character of God?
- How will you demonstrate that Jesus is worthy of trust?
- How will God receive glory through your words/actions?
- How will you say that his kingdom is here and it’s good?!
- Who might experience salvation because of you?