Happy New Year! New Years is often a time for making new resolutions or re-committing to old resolutions; making promises to yourself so as to give up a bad habit or to develop new good habits. You might go so far as to create a resolution that would truly change your lifestyle. It may be a time of putting more effort into something, a time of re-establishing a broken relationship, maybe investing into a new exercise routine, or possibly even seeking to be more involved in helping others.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

So I began my own journey of reflection with the new year. I started to think about how I could reach my highest potential this year. Each of us are given about 8,760 hours to live. As I reflected on my life in the form of hours, it didn’t seem like all that much time. Time. What I do with it is the most valuable commodity I have.

Psalm 90:10 talks about how the length of our days is seventy years–or eighty, if we have the strength. Time marches on. It can never be slowed or stopped by us. Time is out of our control. Time is the most precious possession we have and we are the ones who get to decide how it is spent.

You can’t control the length of your life, but you have the opportunity to determine its width and depth.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

More and more I was reminded that as long as we align our priorities with God’s will, we will be right where we are supposed to be. We will spend our time in a way that is effective. And it will be a good year indeed.