As a new year dawns we all know that there are certain things in our lives that we would like to change, so we set “New Year, New Me” resolutions. We get ourselves a gym membership, commit to eating healthier food or working on organizing our time better. All these things are good, but I’d like to add one more thing to the top your list of New Year’s resolutions: “Get to know yourself.”
You might be asking, “What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I know myself!” Well, maybe not as well as you think you do. We are complex beings and have many layers; may of which we don’t even understand ourselves. It sounds intimidating to be sure, but truly understanding oneself leads to true life transformation and purpose, and those things do not come easily. If you don’t know yourself deeply, how are you going to set worthwhile goals for yourself in the new year? The transformations we want to make in our lives in this new year should reflect who God has already created us to be, who we really are; not attempts to become something we’re not.
“The transformations we want to make in our lives in this new year should reflect who God has already created us to be.”
This process isn’t easy. It takes lots of time and courage to truly get to know our identity in Christ, but the understanding of who God has made you to be is a powerful and necessary journey to accomplishing the purpose God has set before you.
So start 2019 off with a commitment to getting to know your identity in ways you have not done so before! This new understanding of yourself will inform the way you set goals and resolutions for yourself, relate to other people, and most importantly, meet with God. Engage the difficult stuff in this new year and look expectantly to the things God has for you. Don’t look to a new year for a new you; God has already given you a priceless and holy identity in Christ Jesus. Grow in understanding and utility of your identity. It’s a New Year and a Renewed You!
-Nathan Conklin