Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 43:19
Can you believe that it’s 2021 already? Now that the new year is here, you might be setting resolutions and intentions for 2021. I prefer to use the term “goals” instead of “resolutions” because I feel like goals are more realistic. I’m better at setting goals than resolutions, and I find that I’m better at reaching my goals than following through with my resolutions.
For 2021, I have several goals, big and small, for different areas of my life. Of course, I set about three goals for myself to improve my faith life. My blogging friend Isabella from Bearing Good Fruit has an awesome blog post about spiritual goals and several examples and ideas which helped me to set some concrete spiritual goals and inspired me to write this post! After I set my faith goals for 2021, I thought I’d share my process and some tips to set some for yourself!
Decide how or where you want to grow in your faith
Think of specific, tangible, and realistic goals that will help you improve your faith journey. Do you want to pray every day? Do you want to go to Confession more often? Do you want to read Scripture or Christian books? Whatever you want to do in 2021 to further your faith journey, make that your goal.
Bonus tip: Discern and remember the “why” behind your goal. Your “why” will inspire you to keep striving for your goals. For me, one of my faith goals for 2021 is to read the whole Old Testament. My “whys” behind this goal are to read more Scripture and to gain a deeper understanding of Salvation History.
Write your goals down
I once heard the saying “A goal not written down is only a wish,” and I took it to heart. The goals that I write down are the ones that I’m more likely to reach. Whether it’s in your planner, your notebook, your prayer journal, your phone, a vision board, or even just a sticky note on your wall, write down somewhere where you’ll see it often.
Have an accountability strategy
Now that you’ve discerned your faith goals and you’ve written them down, figure out how you’ll keep yourself accountable for achieving them. Maybe you have a friend or family member who has the same goals, and you can work on them together. Maybe you can write down your progress in a notebook. No matter what you choose, make sure you have a way to keep yourself on track.
Tip: Use a planner or a notebook to track your growth. After you write down your goal, you can write down your progress on the same page, or you could use the whole thing to journal about reaching your goals. At the end of the year, it’ll be such a rewarding feeling to look back and see how much you’ve grown! I’m using my faith planner to write down how much I’ve read each day as well as verses that I want to remember.
Ask God to help you
Pray about your spiritual goals and ask God for the grace to achieve them. God wants to answer our prayers, and He wants us to grow closer to Him and become holier. Naturally, He’ll happily answer your prayers when you ask Him to help you with your faith goals! Before you sit down to read Scripture, ask Him for understanding and for a deeper love of His word. If you want to pray a Rosary every day, ask Him for a deeper devotion and ask Mary to intercede for you. Remember that you’re not on this journey alone. God wants you to succeed and He’ll help you every step of the way. We just have to show up and ask Him to help us grow. When we give God an inch, He’ll give us miles and miles.
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I hope these tips help you as you discern and begin working on your spiritual goals for 2021! I’d love to know what yours are, so comment below so I can pray for you as you work on your goals!
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Excellent blog Madeline! I’m going to try to start journaling in 2021! Thank you for praying for me. 🙏🏻
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Thank you! That’s an awesome goal! 😉
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