5 New Year’s Resolutions All Christian Women Should Make

As a pastor, I love talking to children about the true meaning of Christmas. When I ask children what they think of when they think of Christmas, they often respond with Santa, mischievous elves, presents, travel, and time with family. As a parent, I think of family traditions, making memories, spreading cheer, and sometimes, simply surviving the pace of it all. Behind the trappings and trimmings, however, is a larger spiritual reality and truth underpinning it all.

Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus. It gives me such joy to read the story of his birth to children ('Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist and Goodnight, Manger by Laura Sassi are favorites!), watch them create nativity scenes, and describe the Christian meaning of the candy cane. Did you know that a candy cane makes a "J" for Jesus and resembles a shepherd's crook?

In addition to shepherds, there are three kings bearing gifts in every nativity. We celebrate the kings' visit to the baby Jesus after Christmas and at the beginning of every new year on Epiphany. Therefore, it's appropriate to consider their gifts as a spiritual exercise of our own in the new year. What are three gifts that you could bring to Jesus, too? Maybe God has been prodding your heart to make a change, bless someone else, or step out for his glory. Write your gifts down and resolve to give them. After all, Christ has been born anew for you!

Sadly, we have a lot of reasons to live alarmed these days. The mental health of our children is declining as cell phone and tech usage goes up. Countries are at war, and political parties, even in peace, can't get along. American communities brace for terrorist events from foreign soil and gun violence from our own soil, even in our schools. Sometimes, it's all just too much.

We can't live too busy to pray. When things feel too big or beyond our control, prayer is a tool at our disposal that has the ability to change things. James 5:16 reminds us, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Prayer can shield and protect our children. It can change minds and bring peace. It can serve as a lifeline for someone who feels they have no other recourse. As a chaplain, I have seen prayer communicate God's love to a hurting person in a way that nothing else can. All prayer takes is a willing heart and a sacrifice of time.

There are lots of ways that a prayer resolution can take shape. My husband and I are challenging ourselves to pray together every night, no matter how exhausted we are when we hit the pillow. One deacon, mother of five, and grandmother suggests finding a prayer group at a local church—hers has been meeting together weekly since the pandemic. Also, a friend who is a mother of three and prayer group leader uses prayer dice at home. The dice can be used individually or in a group, especially when you are praying with people who are reluctant or want to learn new ones. I just bought this dice to use at our dinner table with my children!

Photo credit: ©Pexels/Karolina Kaboompics

As a pastor, I often meet people skeptical of organized religion. There is a growing tendency for people to opt for individual spirituality over corporate worship, even if they believe in Jesus. I have written about the recent decline in church attendance, which is occurring across denominational lines at an alarming rate, in an article for Crosswalk entitled, "How Should the Church Respond to the 'Great Dechurching?'". The phenomenon of de-churching has been both coined and documented in a recent book bearing its name by Jim Davis and Michael Graham.

While I do believe God looks at a person's heart, as evidenced by King David, Jesus is clear that there is power when Christians come together. Jesus states, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). But the church is more than a conduit of his presence—it's Jesus' very body. I love how a body is made up of many varied parts. It's an important reminder that our commonalities are more important than our differences in God's service.

As believers, we are not designed to thrive without the church. God gives his people various gifts to bless not only the world but each other. My dearest friends have always been ones through faith because it knits us together through something bigger than ourselves; faith provides the gift of a shared purpose and heart. One friend and mother of two who is a pastor's daughter told me that she is intentionally seeking more faith relationships this year. To Christians who decide to live without this gift of community, why choose to survive on breadcrumbs when God wants to give you a delicious loaf for your sustenance?

While the decline in worship attendance is discouraging, another statistic is not. According to the Pew Research Center, about 28% of Americans are now religiously unaffiliated, but Bible sales have risen by about 22%. Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019 and hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. Publishers attribute this rise to first-time purchasers and new editions.

While Christians often use caution to speak openly about faith and society squirms at the mention of truth, we still need Scripture's guiding light. That's why my friend and Bible study leader has a calling to teach Scripture, read it herself, and include it in her resolutions. As a parent raising teenagers, I have experienced the Bible's importance firsthand. We can either seek to please God or people. If the latter, our choices often harm the very children we are looking to indulge and help, and it's often for the sake of our own vanity as parents.

While the stakes have never been higher, we have everything we need to find equal footing. I had a choice to make this past year that was pivotal. I had viable reasons to choose either way, though Scripture was clear that only one answer would suffice. Despite my confusion and discomfort, I chose to follow Scripture, and I am so glad I did. My experience put the saying that "all other ground is sinking sand" into sharp relief for me. Scripture is the light to our path when our own understanding fails (Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5–6). We can study the Bible alone, as a group, listen to it on our phones, or receive cultivated devotions online—enjoy exploring!

The church has notoriously encouraged service. While its options are designed to strengthen the community and affirm the gifts of those doing it, the spirit in which they are both offered and executed is important. Scripture affirms that "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). Serving in stale roles out of guilt or compulsion is not the vibrant service God has in mind.

When I wrote a Bible study for publication, I named and explored six steps to living our life purpose. Life's purpose is unique to each person and destined by our Creator. One important step to living it is surrender. Our role as Christians is not to make what we want happen but to fulfill the will of the One who made us. It's pleasing God that can unlock our greatest joy.

What joy is waiting for you in 2025? How can you honor the unique spark God has given you in both big and small ways? This question is at the top of my mind for one of my dear friends and fellow Bible study members this year; though she doesn't work in the church, she generously volunteers in it. Those willing to respond with creativity, consistency, and passion to God's call have the capacity to make the greatest waves for Jesus. Remember Christ's encouragement not to hide your light but to put it on a stand for all to see (Matthew 5:15). The world needs more light—more Christ shining through you!

We are never too far gone to start anew as followers of Jesus. The calendar annually reminds us of a biblical reality—Christ can make all things new! God says, "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19a, ESV). I pray these resolutions bless your life as you choose not just to read them but abide by them. Whether you are serving, praying, studying, or responding to God with gratitude and praise, a little intention can go a long way to shaping our best year yet as followers of Jesus.