The Year of New Beginnings

Throughout the month of December, the Lord put it on my heart to look for 2008 to be a year of new beginnings. The number “8” in the Bible represents “new beginnings”. This is seen when God repopulated the earth after the flood by using eight people. This is also seen in the Bible when male Jewish infants were circumcised on the eighth day of their birth.

The Proverbs 29:18 states “Where no vision is the people perish… (KJV).” In the December 31st issue of U.S. News & World Report, the featured article was entitled: “50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2008“.

In trying to provide a vision and goals for my own life, I read this article and lifted seven key areas of focus which I thought would improve my life by the end of 2008.

1. The fourth improvement listed was “Turn work into your workout”. Most of us have got to spend more time finding practical ways to exercise such as simply walking more.

2. Number 12 was to “Change your reading habits”. We really should spend more time reading whether they be books, news, literature, and of course the Scriptures.

3. Number 16: “Make a ‘Not-to-do-list’”. This I found interesting but it made sense. If I intend to read more in 2008, then I must decide what I’m not going to do such as watch TV or play video games.

4. Number 22: “Analyze your investment strategy”. As I read Richard Foster’s book Simplicity, I ask myself “When am I going to finally say that I have enough stuff? How am I using my financial resources to advance God’s Kingdom?”

5. Number 32: “Remember the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.”. April 4, 2008 will mark the 40th Anniversary of Dr. King’s death. His life reminds me to ask how I am investing my life toward becoming God’s agent to make the world a better place.

6. Number 33: “Listen better”. This involves increasing my ability to listen to people’s non-verbal communications.

7. And finally, number 40: “Commit ‘random acts of kindness’”. 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that “love is kind”, and 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is Love”. Thus the kinder we are the more we exhibit who God really is.

I’m certainly not saying that you have to use the list I’ve provided. However, I believe this list is a good place to start. It’s good to declare next year to be the year of new beginnings, but what will we do differently to make it one? I invite your thoughts.