“New year, new me” is a saying you hear or see often, especially at this time of year. Although the thought sounds like a positive approach to self-improvement, it is not the healthiest of mindsets. Each January 1st, a great many anticipate becoming the best version of themselves in the coming year. Hopes are set high to cease all bad habits and embrace a more perfect version of who they were meant to be.
I heard a conversation recently between my daughters. One, who is involved in the leadership of a music ministry, was stating that members of the team watch videos of how their quality was during service and how they can improve. In other words, they critique themselves for the purpose of becoming better. Her sister asked, “But do you celebrate your wins?” This conversation stayed in my mind for several days and impacted me significantly.
How often are we quick to list all the areas in our life that need improvement without ever stopping to note the things that we are doing right? We get caught in the trap of incorrect perceptions as we observe the accomplishments of others, making our own insufficiencies seem so substantial.
In reality, our lives are beautiful pictures of woven parts — the old and the new, who we are, as well as who we are becoming. If we choose to look at ourselves in that light — who we are and what we can be, rather than focusing on all the things that we are not — then we will have a healthy foundation wherewith we can reach our fullest potential.
As we approach yet another year, let’s take note of what went well last year. Let’s be thankful for the ability to carry out certain areas of ministry that we’re blessed to be involved in. Perhaps we can make a list of what we did get right and what worked well.
There will be areas that demand improvement, no doubt. We do well to strive for our best. But don’t forget to celebrate our wins and recognize our value.
“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
Proverbs 28:6 ESV
“If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
Isaiah 58:10-11
Reprinted with permission from Today’s Christian Girl newsletter.