One of the central messages of the Bible is the promise of God's forgiveness and eternal salvation. Just as God promises all Christians a fresh start, the New Year is the perfect time to set aside negativity and plan positive changes for the year ahead.
For many Christians, an essential part of planning for the New Year is prioritizing their spiritual development. Below, you can find five simple ways to plan for a faithful New Year.
A new year is a perfect time to invest in a yearly planner to help you keep on top of your to-do list and schedule appointments and social engagements. Many people find that starting a new planner helps focus their mind on a positive and productive new year as a symbol of a fresh start. Christians may wish to consider purchasing a faith-based planner that helps them focus on spiritual development as well as practical matters.
Christian Planner sells a wide range of beautiful planners to suit any taste, and each has dedicated space for faithful reflection. Unlike many secular products, Christian Planners start on Sunday with a dedicated page for reflecting on your pastor's messages during worship. They also include regular Bible quotes and prayer reminders to help you focus on your relationship with God while keeping your life well-organized.
A new year is a great time to develop new habits. Many people focus their New Year's resolutions around their health and lifestyle, pledging to lose weight or spend more time with family. However, many people forget to center God in their New Year's plans.
If you like making resolutions, try to choose at least one resolution that will nurture your faith and help develop your relationship with God. Which resolution you should make is deeply personal and depends on your circumstances, and there are plenty of ideas to consider. Resolving to dedicate time for daily prayer, Bible study or faith journaling are all excellent ways to build faithful habits in the new year.
Watch Night services, also known as Freedom's Eve services, are a key part of many Christian traditions on December 31. They have special significance in many African American churches because they mark the night in 1862 when slaves congregated in churches ahead of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.
Attending a Watch Night service is a wonderful alternative to a regular New Year's Eve party and allows the faithful to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. It's also an excellent way to start the new year firmly focused on your faith.
Check to see if your local church is planning a Watch Night service this year. Residents of any of the communities under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella can also ask their chaplain if a service is planned in the community. If not, you could consider hosting family, friends and other residents in your senior living apartment on New Year's Eve to pray, read the Bible and enjoy drinks and food to ring in the new year.
Christian World Media also hosts a wide range of live-streamed worship sessions, and you can tune into a Watch Night service online from the comfort of your assisted living apartment on December 31.
Starting the day with a faithful affirmation is an excellent New Year's resolution for Christians, and you can prepare for a faithful year by preparing your daily affirmations in advance. Various books are available online and from Christian book stores with pre-selected affirmations relevant for the time of year that could make an excellent Christmas gift for you or a loved one.
However, some Christians prefer to select their own affirmations based on issues or questions they're currently experiencing in their lives. You can use the same affirmation each day or pick different ones according to the time of day or season.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of inspiration available online to get you started. Raise Your Sword is an excellent faith-based blog that shares affirmation ideas and Christian Living content focused on the spiritual needs of women. Calming Grace is another superb resource that shares Biblical affirmations for different circumstances, such as struggles with fear and anxiety, alongside relevant passages from the Bible.
If you've been considering joining an assisted living community, the new year could be an excellent time to make the change. However, it's important to choose the right community for your needs and outlook on life. Many Christian seniors find that living in a faith-based assisted living community gives them the support and encouragement they need to continue growing their faith and relationship with God in their later years.
Moving into one of our communities can empower seniors to enjoy the best possible health and an active, vibrant lifestyle centered around faith. Assisted living community residents benefit from expert care and practical support with access to a wide range of leisure and social activities in beautiful surroundings. Each site also has its own chaplain to provide spiritual care and guidance and offers a wealth of worship opportunities to build an active Christian community.
