Transformation of a New Year

Why does the start of a new year seem to hold so many possibilities? We don’t get as excited over the start of a new day, new week or even a new month, so why is the beginning of a new year so huge? I think that above all the other new starts on a calendar, a new year screams of transformation.

            

We all want transformation in our lives, to the point that some of us obsess over it. You see the craving among the avid gym goers, the ones determined to have a great love life, the people on the job hunt. We seek to make our lives different, to keep moving forward, and to transform.

            

The beautiful part is that our desire for transformation is God given. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Coming to Christ is the ultimate recreation that leads to continual transformation as we choose daily to walk in Him.

           

Goals and resolutions are awesome things; it is always great when we seek to better ourselves. I am a planner to the core, so I make many of these each year (and sometimes I’m actually successful, which is always cool to see). Although I have many areas of my life that I want to become better in this year, I want my main focus to be on the One who brings about ultimate transformation.

            

What good is it to meet my gym quota every week if I become spiritually weak? What am I gaining if I compose all the new music in the world and become a stellar guitarist but don’t use it to worship the God who ultimately gave me the talent? I crave the power of transformation above many things, so this year I want to look directly to the source.

            

So this year my most important goal is both extremely simple and extremely complex: I want to be like Jesus. I want to focus on spiritual growth and becoming a godly woman. I want Jesus to shine through me in my relationships, the work I do and how I live my life. I want the focus of my year to be on Him rather than on me because when you’re all about living for Him, that’s when you’re truly able to be transformed.