Finish The Year Strong!

With both Thanksgiving and Christmas past us now our thoughts turn to how to finish the year strong. The pace has finally slowed down enough to catch our breath and survey the highlights of the year that is about to end. The good, the bad, the ugly, as well as the spectacular has left its mark on us in 2022. What are some ways to finish the year strong?

Praise Reports Everyone! Can I get an Amen!

To finish the year strong we make the time to bring the whole year into review. Take time to acknowledge all the miracles and blessings that God has given you. Give Him thanks for every single one. We often times forget once the crisis is passed of how God faithfully worked out those situations. Be grateful and give thanks for those answered prayers right now. Write them out to remind you of His faithfulness in your life. We call these “Praise Reports.” Everyone has them. Make time to express them verbally or in written form or both. Everyone has a praise report to share so start sharing them and increasing your faith for future praise reports in the coming year! Do this to finish the year strong! Can I get an Amen?

Lessons Learned (Sometimes The Hard Way)

Another way to finish the year strong is to reflect on the lessons that the year brought into your life. Both good and bad experiences teach us different types of usable knowledge. God designed each season in life to bring many lessons. The lessons can be work related, family related, or entirely a personal growth moment. All these lessons learned bring maturity. Allow each lesson to teach you and choose not to willingly repeat the same mistake twice. Reflect on all the lessons learned to finish the year out strong.

Forgive And Let It Go!

To finish the year out strong you have to let go of all the emotionally charged clutter in your heart and thoughts. Offense pileups can block future blessings. Tightly clenching your fists on offenses while nurturing past grudges obstructs your hands from receiving any good in the future. Just try holding onto two balls (offenses) in your hands as tight as you can. If someone offered you a gift while you have clenched handfuls of kept grievances (balls), you would have to open both hands to release the balls(offenses) to receive the new gift. Same thing with the emotions you carry around in your heart. Forgive. And just let it go to finish the year strong!

Click this link for my blog post on seven excellent reasons to forgive: https://reconfiguringwithgrace.com/?p=570

Laugh Out Loud….For REAL!

Everyone knows the acronym LOL! It is commonly used in texts and online messaging to acknowledge something considered funny. Even adding cute little emojis, written LOLs lacks the experience of what one deep belly laugh out loud accomplishes. Learn to truly laugh at your past mistakes not just LOL them. Be patient with yourself as you make progress and grow. Many experiences aren’t funny while they are happening but in retrospect one can truly laugh out loud over the incident. Hindsight is 20/20 for a reason. Finish the year out strong by taking a hard look at your mistakes and honestly laughing out loud over them. Laughter is good medicine!

Draw Near To God

“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you,” is a trustworthy scripture found in James 4:8 in the Bible. Reconnect with God your creator. Find out what He created you to do in the world at just this time. What is your God given purpose? Set your life back on the right track. Make amends for past mistakes or hurtful things you’re responsible for in 2022. Sincerely ask for forgiveness. Seek ways to be a blessing in the new year. Start praying. Start going to church. Download the Bible app and read it more. Join a Bible study or devotion group. Your new year can only be better when you draw near to God by reconnecting and discovering who God really is to YOU. It will definitely start the new year out right and finish this year up strong.

Wrap It Up

Let’s wrap it up here. And no, I am not talking about wrapping up yet another Christmas gift for this year. LOL! But seriously, let’s wrap it up by gathering the key points here.

• Make time to remember the praise reports that happened. Share them with each other and give God thanks for every single one.
• Reflect on all the lessons learned throughout the year, the good, the bad, the ugly. REMEMBER the lesson so you don’t have to repeat it.
• Forgive liberally and let it go. It doesn’t mean you have to open yourself up relationally again but it means you no longer are going to carry around last year’s offenses. Clear the emotional clutter! Don’t be an emotional hoarder; especially with past grievances.
• Laugh out loud for real. Be honest with yourself. Own your mishaps and learn to laugh about them. Laughter is good medicine.
• Last but certainly NOT LEAST, DRAW CLOSER TO GOD. Reconnect. Really get to KNOW your heavenly Father. Make God the number one priority in YOUR life. Find connections to make that happen.

Choose to finish the year 2022 strong by practicing these key points. Happy New Year everyone! May 2023 be filled with many blessings as you draw near to God!