The start of a new year is the perfect time to strengthen your walk with God. Choosing a community under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella provides a supportive environment that makes it easier to follow God. Taking additional steps to strengthen your faith in 2023 can also help.
Participating in groups with a faith focus can help you follow God more closely. This might include a Bible study group, faith-based book club or faith-based social club for seniors. Joining an organized group keeps you focused on your faith and can offer a convenient structured approach to learning more about God. You also build relationships with other people who have similar goals of following God. Assisted living communities under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella offer various ways to participate through organized activities. You can also organize a group to match your interests or fill a need in your community.
Whether you work through scripture on your own or join a Bible study group, reading the word of God is an effective way to follow him. The Bible offers opportunities to learn more about God, which can help you feel closer to him. You can also learn more about how God wants you to live through scripture. Devotionals for seniors offer a structured approach to studying the Bible if you don't want to join a group. You might also look for Bible verses that fit a specific experience you're going through.
Prayer offers a direct way to communicate with God, which can help you grow your relationship with him. Daily prayer can help you feel closer to God. It can also be beneficial when you're going through a difficult time. Praying can help you sort out your feelings, prioritize what you need to do, help you feel stronger and get the answers you seek from God.
As you strengthen your prayer practice, you might start sharing prayer with others. This can help you shift your focus away from yourself and toward others. You can see the power of prayer in a larger group. Sharing your faith with others in this way can also strengthen how you feel and inspire others to focus on following God.
Serving others is a powerful way to follow God. Open yourself up to opportunities to serve or spend more time with God. Mission trips are a big way to serve, but seniors can give back in many small ways as well. This might mean volunteering in the nursery or serving as a greeter within a church community. In your senior living community, you might offer tours to prospective residents, visit your neighbors or organize activities for residents.
Seniors face many decisions, from moving into assisted living to how to handle a medical diagnosis. These decisions can be overwhelming, and you might not know how to handle them. Turning to God during those difficult times can help you follow him more faithfully. Scripture and prayer are effective ways to rely on God to help you through decisions and challenges.
Keeping a faith journal can help you document and process your relationship with God. It's a personal place for you to write down your experiences and thoughts related to faith and spirituality. The beauty of a faith journal is that you can customize it and use it in a way that makes the most sense to you. It can be a place to reflect on Bible passages that speak to you, or you might journal about little ways you see God's hand in your life. Your faith journal can be a place for you to sort through confusion or question things about your faith. Writing in your journal regularly makes it more effective and can help you clarify your relationship with God.
It's easier to follow God when surrounded by other people pursuing the same relationship. Following God's word isn't always easy, especially when experiencing difficult times. You can find inspiration and support from others on the same journey. Faith-based relationships also give you an outlet for discussing your relationship with God and expressing concerns. You can learn a lot from hearing about other people's experiences and struggles. Living in a faith-based senior community often makes it easier to find those connections, especially with older adults who have similar life experiences or are at the same point in life you are.
The media you consume can affect your thoughts and feelings. For example, watching the news can cause anxiety if you consume too much. While staying informed is important, balancing the bad news with positive messages can help you maintain a better outlook. You can also choose what you consume intentionally to grow your faith and walk with God. You might add faith-based podcasts to your playlist or choose books with a faith focus when you visit the library. These media sources can be uplifting, inspiring and supportive of your goals of following God's word.
