2010: A Year of Spiritual Growth

I think it's natural for most of us to reflect on the year once it comes to an end. Granted, we still have about three weeks remaining in 2010, but today I did something that made me want to write this Year in Review...

I finished reading the New Testament.

I've considered myself to be a Christian my entire life, but when it came to reading the Bible, I was awful. First of all, I hate to read. And even worse, I hate being forced to read. That's how I felt when it came to reading the Bible... like I was doing it out of obligation.

Entering 2010, I did not set out to make reading the New Testament one of my New Year's Resolutions. (I actually don't like New Year's Resolutions because people generally forget about them once it doesn't feel like a new year anymore.)

Early this year, my wife and I joined a small group through our church aimed specifically at young adults. Coming into it, I was extremely nervous because I had never done anything like that before... sitting around for an hour with my peers discussing God. However, my skepticism quickly faded and the small group has turned out to be a blessing.

Towards the end of March, I created a list of five goals to be completed by the end of 2010. Inspired by the weekly meetings with our small group, I made one of those goals, "Read the New Testament."

At the time, there were 275 days remaining in the year. There are 260 chapters in the New Testament. I told myself to read just one chapter a day, and if I stuck to it, then I would finish in mid-December...

...and here we are.

This is my Bible. You can see why it's perfect for me.

Completing this goal coupled with the conversations I've had with my newfound friends in small group has made 2010 a year of spiritual growth for me.

So what's the impact been? For the past several months, I've made an extra effort to be an example of how a Christian should act. I think a lot of not-Christians get really turned off because of all the hypocrisy that goes around. Anyone can talk the talk on Sunday mornings. But not everyone walks the walk during the week.

I've been anything but perfect this year. I still struggle with a lot of the same problems I've had for years, but I am getting better. I've been able to control my temper and avoid using four-letter words in certain situations.

But most importantly, my faith has grown insurmountably.  It's easy to get frustrated and/or down in the dumps. We all have those moments. But I know God is going to take care of everything. And that gives me peace of mind.

It's been a good year.