Positioning ourselves for the new year

Introduction

“Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months, and have set limits he cannot exceed,” are the words found in Job 14:5 of the Bible. Time is of essence to human beings, and same, must be wisely used. An unwise use of time has dire consequences. Benjamin Franklin, a former statesman of the United States once said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the Stuff Life is made of.”

The year 2021 would not make any difference from the subsequent ones, if there aren’t any variables or changes to what we do every day, weeks, and months of the year. In their book, Boundaries In Dating, the authors aptly said “The best predictor of the future, without some intervening variables, is the past.”

My task in this article is to draw our attention to three of such intervening variables, that will make the coming years a much better one than the previous ones.

Vision

What is our vision for the year 2022? Do we have a prize we hope to achieving in the coming years? One of the killers of mankind is a man without Vision. In the absence of vision comes frustration and discouragement. The Bible said in Proverbs 29:18a that ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’. It is worth it. Vision sets the tone or serves as the blue print for a person. Let’s get our vision rightly crafted for the coming year.
Renewed mind:

Joel L. Mason, in his book You’re Born An Original; Don’t Die A Copy, said “Nothing dies quicker than a new idea in a closed mind”. Yes, we all have our various goals for the coming year, cutting the spheres of finance, business, academics, spiritual growth, just to mention but few.

However, a mind which is adamant to change may be a barricade to achieving most of these goals. What we need is a positive mindset. A can-do-spirit. The Bible in 1 John 4:4 provides “Little Children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world”. Let’s have a mindset of overcomers and victors, in the coming years. That is who we are, unstoppable.

Diligence

Diligence in the success formula cannot be overemphasised. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men (Proverbs 22:29). The Bible is replete with exhortation on diligence. Let’s gird our loins for hard work in the coming days. There are certain drosses (obstacles) our ways that must be done away with, and this may require some level of commitment and diligence.

Conclusion

We, especially the believer in Christ Jesus, has all the potentials that he needs to making his light so shine before men. With a set vision, coupled with diligence and a renewed mind, our new year is definitely going to be a great one. Let us do away with all indifferences and apathy, and strive towards excellence in the coming years.