It’s the beginning of a new year again. I celebrated the cross-over into the new year by attending the watchnight service at Paya Lebar Methodist Church together with my wife, and then on the first day of the year, I went for a long run along the Punggol Park connector. Last Sunday, my wife and I attended the church service at Living Sanctuary Brethren Church, and I enjoyed both the preaching as well as worship there.
Every year around this time, we are motivated to press the “re-set” button in our lives, putting the failures and disappointments of the previous year behind us, and setting new resolutions for the year ahead with expectations that it will be a better year. We draw encouragement from what the apostle Paul said: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”
As I think of the resolutions that I want to set for this new year, there is a phrase that keeps resonating in my head: “A clear vision anchored by consistent values”. For this coming year, I want my resolutions to be defined by two important questions:
• What is the vision that I want to set out to achieve this year?
• What are the values (character traits) that I want to consistently develop in this new year?
Before I move on the list out the concrete resolutions that I am setting, I wanted to explore further these two elements that would define the resolutions. These are thoughts that crossed my mind as I was looking through the first chapter of the book of Joshua in the Bible.
1. A clear and compelling vision
I am not talking about a grandiose vision like that articulated in Martin Luther’s “We Have a Dream” speech. Rather I am talking about a simple idea of what we hope to see in our personal life at the end of the year 2015. I have some thoughts about how we can articulate a clear and compelling one-year vision for this year.
• A vision should be bigger than our current reality.
It is not meaningful to dream to underachieve by the end of the year. We need to dream of goals that are bigger than our current reality, whether in terms of quantity of quality.
• A vision should be translated into an implementable plan.
A vision needs to have a practical implementation plan to go along with it. This means writing down SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. A vision tells us the final destination that we want to reach, but careful preparation and prayer will prepare us for the journey to reach the destination, a journey which is usually fraught with mis-steps such as taking the wrong turn or running into an unintended accident.
• A vision should be implemented in consultation and cooperation with other people.
The good news is that we do not need to walk the journey of our vision alone. We are intended to operate within a community, and there are mentors, friends and family members that God will place along this journey to help us achieve our vision and encourage us when the going gets tough.
2. Consistent values
Values will guide us on the decisions we make and the paths we take to achieve the vision. The circumstances around us change all the time, and whilst we need to keep our eyes open to the happenings in the world around us, the one thing that will anchor us and keep us on the right path towards our vision is having consistent values. Many people fail to reach the end point because they give up in the face of adversity and discomfort. Only a strong and courageous character characterized by having consistent values in our lives will ensure that we finish the race to see the destination in our vision. This is why the exhortation to be strong and courageous and not to be discouraged was repeatedly given to Joshua.
Character is forged in the face of adversity, as we continue to walk ahead despite challenging circumstances, knowing that God is always walking alongside us and will always be there, never leaving us or forsaking us.
Every year around this time, we are motivated to press the “re-set” button in our lives, putting the failures and disappointments of the previous year behind us, and setting new resolutions for the year ahead with expectations that it will be a better year. We draw encouragement from what the apostle Paul said: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”
As I think of the resolutions that I want to set for this new year, there is a phrase that keeps resonating in my head: “A clear vision anchored by consistent values”. For this coming year, I want my resolutions to be defined by two important questions:
• What is the vision that I want to set out to achieve this year?
• What are the values (character traits) that I want to consistently develop in this new year?
Before I move on the list out the concrete resolutions that I am setting, I wanted to explore further these two elements that would define the resolutions. These are thoughts that crossed my mind as I was looking through the first chapter of the book of Joshua in the Bible.
1. A clear and compelling vision
I am not talking about a grandiose vision like that articulated in Martin Luther’s “We Have a Dream” speech. Rather I am talking about a simple idea of what we hope to see in our personal life at the end of the year 2015. I have some thoughts about how we can articulate a clear and compelling one-year vision for this year.
• A vision should be bigger than our current reality.
It is not meaningful to dream to underachieve by the end of the year. We need to dream of goals that are bigger than our current reality, whether in terms of quantity of quality.
• A vision should be translated into an implementable plan.
A vision needs to have a practical implementation plan to go along with it. This means writing down SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. A vision tells us the final destination that we want to reach, but careful preparation and prayer will prepare us for the journey to reach the destination, a journey which is usually fraught with mis-steps such as taking the wrong turn or running into an unintended accident.
• A vision should be implemented in consultation and cooperation with other people.
The good news is that we do not need to walk the journey of our vision alone. We are intended to operate within a community, and there are mentors, friends and family members that God will place along this journey to help us achieve our vision and encourage us when the going gets tough.
2. Consistent values
Values will guide us on the decisions we make and the paths we take to achieve the vision. The circumstances around us change all the time, and whilst we need to keep our eyes open to the happenings in the world around us, the one thing that will anchor us and keep us on the right path towards our vision is having consistent values. Many people fail to reach the end point because they give up in the face of adversity and discomfort. Only a strong and courageous character characterized by having consistent values in our lives will ensure that we finish the race to see the destination in our vision. This is why the exhortation to be strong and courageous and not to be discouraged was repeatedly given to Joshua.
Character is forged in the face of adversity, as we continue to walk ahead despite challenging circumstances, knowing that God is always walking alongside us and will always be there, never leaving us or forsaking us.
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