Christmas dinner leftovers may still be cooling, but after December 25th, it feels like the air around us has already changed. We are no longer focused on “peace and joy” or “calm and bright”, Christmas cheer is now a distant memory. It is now “New Year, New You!” We begin to look in the rearview mirror, thinking about the last 365 days and what we want to change or do differently in the upcoming year.
Having goals is great for us! It keeps us focused and hopefully helps us make progress in areas that could use improvement. Yet, many of the goals I have personally made over the years have been earthly, physical goals- exercise more, eat less, eat better, declutter unnecessary physical belongings, you get the idea. While these ambitions have merit, I realized that none of my goals were spiritually focused. How was I going to get stronger spiritually if I was approaching my growth without thought or a plan?
Let’s chat about spiritual disciplines and why we need to prioritize them in the upcoming year.
What is a Spiritual Discipline?
Spiritual disciplines are Biblical practices you do to strengthen your faith. Examples of spiritual disciplines are praying, studying the Bible, memorizing scripture, fasting, etc. They are not just activities we enjoy doing but faith builders we have examples of in the Bible. One of the definitions of discipline is “an activity that one engages in regularly to train or improve oneself” (Merriam-Webster).
With the Olympics coming up in 2026, this definition makes me think of athletes who train rigorously, their lives revolve around their sport. They don’t train haphazardly or inconsistently. They train daily, multiple times a day, because they have their eye on the prize. The concept of training is Biblical!
“…Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
We need to have the same attitude about building our “spiritual muscles” that Olympians have about their physical muscles. We want to be spiritual Olympians! Our prize is so much greater than a gold medal though, our prize is Heaven, to be with God.
How Do We Decide Which Spiritual Discipline to Work On?
I hope we have the humility to recognize we have room to improve in areas of our spiritual life. I suspect you have an area you feel less confident in than others. Maybe your Bible knowledge is lacking or you know the concepts but can’t cite scripture directly. Perhaps you offer prayer to people who ask for it but then forget to actively pray for them; this happens to me more than I would like to admit.
Figuring out prayer has been a tough one for me. Prayers would happen before meals and before bed when I was a child but as an adult, I noticed my prayers were lacking depth. I understood prayer was a necessity and that God wanted to hear from me. He wanted a relationship with me and I had become an (almost) silent partner. The mechanics of the “when” and the “how” of thoughtful prayers felt perplexing. It was hard to concentrate and get into a deep conversation with God with my face over a hot plate of food or laying in bed at the end of a long day!
I needed a new game plan, so I tried praying right when I got up in the morning. This felt daunting as someone who is not a morning person but I knew how distracted I got once my feet hit the ground. It was time to try something new.
At first, my morning prayers were short. My mind felt foggy and my words clumsy. I also didn’t always give myself enough time to have long prayers without being late for the rest of the day! I decided that short prayers were better than no prayers so I kept going. After many mornings of practice, I don’t have to think about the act of praying when I wake up, it is the start of my day. I do, of course, think about the words that I am saying and try to keep an active list of those who need or I have offered prayers to.
As I have continued my morning prayers, I have noticed this area could still use improvement- like writing my prayer list down instead of trying to keep it in my head. Recognizing the discipline I needed to work on (prayer) and then spending time thinking about what was working/not working started my journey. Being willing to try new ways and accepting progress, even if it was small, has kept me going.
You may have a thoughtful and active prayer life and there may be other spiritual disciplines you want to work on. Reflecting on where you want to improve is a great way to start the process. What is working? What is not? Why? Answering these questions will help you come up with a plan of action. Creating a plan and doing your best to consistently follow it, will help set you up for success.
What happens to our habits when life happens? Travel, illness, your work schedule changes unexpectedly and the consistency wanes. At one time or another, we will face challenges that throw us off our habits. The important part isn’t the “falling off the wagon”. The important part, which will cause you to stretch and grow, is getting back up again. Spend a moment or two thinking about how and why things went sideways and how you could do things differently going forward. Then, as quickly as you can, get back to work! The longer your pause, the harder it will be to start again. Practicing your spiritual discipline imperfectly is better than waiting for the “perfect” timing or plan.
Commit to a Spiritual Discipline in 2026
Statistically, most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. According to Drive Research (Drive Research Team, 2024), 43% of adults will quit their resolution by the end of January of the new year and only 9% of people will keep the resolution for the whole year. These are not encouraging numbers. However, we have the understanding that the “resolution” we make to strengthen various spiritual disciplines, is not a year long commitment, but a lifelong commitment. Yes, we may focus more sharply on one area during a period of time but we are commanded to not just maintain our knowledge but to grow in it. Commit yourself to growing spiritually this year and be amazed what the Lord can do with your willing heart.
