A simple question to orient your year

What is your question that puts your days into perspective?

I used to be big into writing a long list of New Year’s resolutions. It was exciting to dream about what I could accomplish.

I had this bumper sticker on my Jeep Wrangler I drove all of my 20s that said “Do Hard Things.” It was kind of ironic in hindsight, because the first decade of my adult life was mostly full of ease from where I sit today.

On the eve of my 30th birthday, I was very pregnant with my first child who was slated to arrive any day. Reflecting with my husband, I noted that I was on track to achieve almost everything on that “before-30” list. I ran a marathon, traveled the globe, built a thriving career, ate kale regularly, and knew my way around a yoga mat. Not only did I strive for physical health, but I was also the type to set spiritual, relational, and financial goals annually. One might say I’m a typical firstborn. If I put in the work, things normally turned out pretty well.

Little did I know that all the kale and stretching in the world wouldn’t safeguard me from having my life turned upside-down just a few weeks after turning 30. That’s the thing about life: Its circumstances are not entirely in our control. In my case it was a super rare tumor growing in my spine, slowly paralyzing me (don’t worry, odds are very low that will happen to you, too)!

My story may lead you to think that there is no point if things are out of our control anyway. However, I’m not a nihilist because I believe there is good news, redemptive of any bad news you may receive this year.

God promises us He’ll make all things new. The Good News is that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (See this promise in Revelation 21)

In light of all this, how do I look at New Year’s resolutions and bucket lists now?

First, living in the freedom that if I fall short or life derails me, He will still wipe my tears and eventually renew me.

Second, I ask myself: “What if I got a bad MRI scan result tomorrow? How would I want to spend my days?”

So for 2025, when I ask myself this question, this is what is IN:

• Saying no to many good things so I can say yes to my family.

• Stewarding the family, home, and business God has given me instead of seeking more.

• Getting in fighting shape and eating well so I can show up well and have more energy for my kids.

• Reading my Bible and praying more so that I am someone my kids think was an example of a true Jesus-follower and parented them with wisdom.

This is what’s OUT:

• Saying yes to too much work and too many events.

• More, more, more! (Goodbye Amazon one-click shopping addiction)

• Eating things that make me tired or not my best.

• Starting my day on email/social media.

In hindsight, I can see that my before-30 bucket list was closer to a hedonic treadmill (credit: Arthur Brooks) that kept me continually striving and never feeling satisfied. Sometimes I look back and wish I would have taken more moments to fully appreciate the simple joy of running uninhibited or the feeling of the sand in my toes that I’ll probably never experience again this side of heaven. And I’m pretty sure that one day in my next decade, I’ll look back and wish I would’ve hugged my babies more and listened to them talk about Monster Trucks longer.

The family you have today, the work before you this year, or the healthy body you enjoy may be fleeting (sorry, I know that can be hard to think about). I can say I’m grateful that my unexpected tumor and paralysis left me with this perspective, because —whether you acknowledge it daily or not —the reality is that all of our days here are numbered. The urgency (or maybe even fear) this creates should be properly balanced out by the peace of knowing that God promised He will renew and redeem anything you mess up or gets thrown your way in 2025.

I think that embracing this may help you find meaning in your days this year. So what is your question that puts your days into perspective?