Seeking Jesus Daily in the New Year {Free Printable}

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We're just days from the New Year. It's that time on the calendar when we all kick ourselves for the things we should've done, would've done, and could've done. Then we whip out our pen and pad and make spectacular goals and plans that last for about, oh, 15 days.

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I made huge lists every January. I sectioned them out into 1, 5, and 10-year goals. I'm pretty sure my ten-year goal when I was twelve said “Become an astronaut.” I also put “Read the entire Bible” on my 1-year list every year. Every. Year. I just forgot that reading the Bible in a year would require a daily commitment.

Fast forward twenty or *ahem* more years. Here's what I've learned:

Do the same thing every day. Day in. Day out.

At the end of a year, you'll have progressed. Be faithful in all areas. It's so simple it's kind of… boring.

Here's the thing about being faithful and monotonously consistent: it takes sacrifice. If you want to read the Bible for 20 minutes a day, every day, and you don't think you have time, you have to give something up. Like 20 minutes of television or video games. Or, for my kids, football in the pouring rain.

Here's what I want to teach my kids: Life is about the small things, not the big spectacular ones. I want them to commit to daily walking the path of faithful service to the Lord.

Helping Your Children Set New Goals

I put together a printable to help kids set daily spiritual goals, and a second sheet that will allow them to check off their goal each day. I had a lot of fun designing these, but I suspect you won't want to print 52 weekly sheets per child with all the colorful ink required. You can either laminate the daily record, or you can slip it into a sheet protector (Avery Diamond Clear Multi-Page Capacity Sheet Protectors, PVC Free, Pack of 25 (74171)), then just use dry erase markers (Expo Low Odor Dry Erase Pen-Style Markers, 8 Colored Markers (86601)) on the plastic so you can use the page over and over again. I used 65-pound cardstock (Neenah Premium Cardstock, 96 Brightness, 65 lb, Letter, Bright White, 250 Sheets per Pack (91904)) to print these so they'd be sturdy and absorb the ink well.

These activities in no way represent the way to salvation. Paul is clear in Romans that we're not saved by works, but by the grace of God alone. These are just ways to practice our daily Christian walk.

Age-Appropriate Planning

If your children are young, you may want to use this tool to remind yourself to build these habits into your family's day. If your child is in the middle grades (3rd-6th), you'll want to come alongside them and help them set reasonable goals. For middle and high school students, this is a project they can use to help themselves develop self-control and faithfulness.

The Commitments

I suspect the first three items on the list are pretty self-explanatory: set aside a time to pray, read the Bible, and memorize a new verse or passage. For “practice sharing the good news,” it can be as simple as memorizing the Romans Road verses (don't forget to download my printable booklet on those here at Kids in the Word). Why “serve someone in love”? For many of us, lovingly serving others is hard and we need to really think about it. The “personal goal” section just allows children to choose a personal goal if they so desire. Try to help them think of a positive goal (Honor God with my speech), rather than a rule (Don't use bad words).

Welcome to a new year, friends! We're just a little closer to His return, and that's a cause for celebration!

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