Why You Should View Every Year as Your Best Year
- Cindi McMenamin Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Jul 18, 2023
We tend to hate the thought of aging. We complain about our health, extra aches and pains, wrinkles, and weight gain. We seem to have less energy with each passing year and we dread the slow decline.
Yet consider the alternative. With a large number of people dying early due to various forms of cancer or heart disease, age is a blessing. It is a privilege. And with each passing year, you and I are given more time on this earth to bring glory to our Maker.
The Westminster Catechism states: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, each year we’ve been given can and should be our best year ever.
Here are four reasons why each year should be your best year, and some practical suggestions on how to start living from that perspective:
1. Scripture tells us to “number our days.”
Moses apparently had a “live each day well” mentality when he penned Psalm 90:12: “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (NASB). In The Message, that verse reads: “Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well.”
There is such wisdom in that verse because when we remember our days are numbered, we will be more motivated to live wisely and well. God has already numbered our days, we just don’t know when that number is up. We may be living with a tumor that hasn’t yet been discovered or a heart condition that hasn’t yet been diagnosed. Our number may be up on our next drive down the freeway or the morning we fail to rise from sleep. We are all on limited time because none of us will live forever on this earth. Therefore, we must live each day—and year—as if it’s our last because it very well could be. And that means making each year the best year because, for all we know, we might not get another one to live it better.
2. We are encouraged to look forward and press on.
If we spend each year regretting yesteryear and “the golden days of long ago,” we will miss out on the joy of looking forward and pressing ahead. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul wrote: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (NASB, emphasis added). His advice to forget about our old life and failures and focus ahead of us for what God has in store is a lesson in forward movement and fixing our eyes on what matters most in life: pleasing our Savior.
But we aren’t to just ignore the now, hoping for the future. As we live each day with the realization that God has forgiven us and has a future and a hope for us, we can get through the here and now, as we look forward to the “not yet” (1 Corinthians 13:12). What are you looking forward to? What are you moving toward? And do you have that goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus? If so, you will see every year as your best year as you seek to please and glorify Him.
3. We are commanded to be grateful.
Gratitude directly affects our attitude. And like my husband says, our attitude affects our altitude. Are you down in the dumps about circumstances or unmet expectations? Think about what you are grateful for, and your attitude and spirits will lift.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are told to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (ESV). When we are living God’s will (which is being thankful in all things, according to this verse), there is joy because joy always accompanies obedience. You might not think there is anything to be happy about right now, but by obediently being grateful for everything you have and everything you are going through, you are drawing your heart closer to God, and in His presence is “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/jacoblund
4. This is another year God has allowed us to live.
Remember when everyone was saying 2020 was the year from hell? With a pandemic, mandatory lockdowns, racial riots, demilitarized zones in New York City, Portland, and Seattle, devastating wildfires that blazed across California, and an election year that was the most divisive in this country’s history, who could have declared it a good year? Yet it was also a year that the church rallied, Easter Sunday was broadcast live from Central Park, people got out and rediscovered creation, and my family found a thousand things to be grateful for that year.
The apostle Paul told the Greeks in Acts 17:28, “In [Christ] we live and move and have our being” (ESV). What if that were our motto every single year (despite what it brings us) as God gives us more time to live on this earth and proclaim His grace and forgiveness and make a difference for Him? Scripture declares: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). So, too, this is the year the Lord has made, so let’s rejoice and be glad in it, regardless of our personal, national, or worldwide circumstances. Each year that you are alive is a blessing. And you can be a blessing to others if you live it well.
How to Make This Year Your Best Year
Now that you know why you should make each year your best, here are some practical suggestions on how you can do that:
Have a measurable physical goal. Don’t just set a generic goal to be more healthy, exercise more, and eat better. Get specific. Start working toward something that will help you make each year that you live even better than the last. Is it time to reduce your sugar intake so your blood sugar level decreases by a few tenths of a point? Will you begin a regular exercise plan in which someone else can hold you accountable or, better yet, join you? Maybe your goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. Or, perhaps it’s time to catch up on regular doctor visits and heed a physician’s health advice. Have a measurable health goal, and I guarantee this year will be better than last even though you will have aged another 365 days.
Have a tangible spiritual goal. Where do you want to be at this time next year when it comes to your relationship with God? Is it time to find a place of worship where you can grow in the Word and fellowship regularly with other believers? Maybe it’s time to get into a small group Bible study where you can develop a deeper relationship with God and other individuals or couples. Or maybe you will start a daily Bible reading plan, take morning prayer walks, or start evening walks to reflect on the day. It could be time to drop a sinful habit and take God seriously when He commands, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). You can do that through surrendering to His Spirit daily and choosing His way over yours.) As you grow in your love and obedience to Him, you are fulfilling your purpose and glorifying Him. And that means you are growing another year older spiritually, and not just physically.
Have a practical social goal. The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a health alert on “the epidemic of loneliness,” declaring that increased isolation and a failure to connect with others leads to a 50 percent greater chance of dementia and a 60 percent greater chance of premature death. Not connecting in person with others is actually harming your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Find support in a community. Gather people around you. Develop deeper friendships. Above all, connect with others in-person and grow with other believers in community. (The local church is often the best place to start forming friendships with other like-minded believers. Being a spectator of church online will not give you the spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits of being a physical participant in your local church. Living in community with other believers is another aspect of God’s purpose for your life, and it will result in a healthier you and a better year overall.
For more on improving your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, see Cindi’s book, When You’re Running on Empty.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/choochart choochaikupt
