With Christmas less than a week away, I’d be willing to bet I’m not alone in thinking about what 2025 is going to look like. The last few years have been anything but easy for many of us, and there’s a quiet hope 2025 sees the health of our families, our communities, and our nation restored.
The question we need to ask is, how can I help? What difference can I make? What must I do differently this year to make 2025 more productive than 2024?
Many will run head on into 2025 with New Year’s resolutions to cut weight, cut bad habits, start good habits, be more kind, be more patient, and a host of others. Unfortunately, many of those folks will walk somberly into February hanging their heads because their commitments to themselves and others didn’t survive past the first month of the new year.
I know this, because this was me until about 10 years ago. After failing enough times at keeping my New Year’s resolutions, I decided to go a different route. Rather than trying to force new habits on myself in the form of resolutions, I decided to start giving myself annual themes each year.
Some themes of years past have been: focus, discipline, abide, walk, and downsize.
The way it works is I begin praying in October or November each year for next year’s theme. By Christmas time I pretty much have it nailed down and am thinking of ways to implement my theme in the next year.
Through the next year, I keep my theme in mind and it serves as a guardrail or a true north to keep pressing on through the year, being mindful of ways to make continuous small improvements or enhancements to my life.
Given a host of new relationships and responsibilities that have come into my life in the last year, I want to be sure I don’t fall into the trap of just going through the motions of life… I want my interactions with and service to others to really have the greatest impact possible. So for 2025, my personal theme is:
MAKE IT COUNT.
In meetings, Bible studies, my personal devotion time, sermons, unexpected interactions in public, and personal time with family, I want to be at my best and give my best for God and others. I want to truly make it count.
One small adjustment I’ll make is to offer to pray with people on the spot when I meet them. It’s easy to say “I’ll pray for you” and go on to forget it…. That doesn’t really count for anything. But when you stop to personally and verbally pray with someone in the moment, God shows up and the interaction carries so much more meaning. That’s one small, simple (yet significant way) that throughout 2025 I can MAKE IT COUNT.
What’s crazy is that as I’ve contemplated this new theme in recent days, I’ve had numerous opportunities to pray for people who have some significant hurts and I’m sure they haven’t had anyone pray for them and share Jesus with them in years.
To give you an example, I was driving to meet a fellow military veteran the other day, who’d invited me to come check out his business, and see if we might partner together. As much as I liked the opportunity and appreciated the invite, I was about 99% certain I didn’t have the bandwidth in life to actually partner with him in a way that would add any value to his business.
As I made the trek out to his warehouse, I felt more and more like I may just be wasting our time. So I began praying and asked God to give me an opportunity to make the meeting count for something.
Fast forward through meeting him and touring his warehouse, we ended up sitting in his office to look at his business software, and eventually got to talking about our families. As the conversation turned personal, he asked me something that, to me, was the true reason for our meeting.
He said, “Nick, you’re a man of faith. Answer this for me… My wife and I had a miscarriage. And shortly after, we had a baby born prematurely, who didn’t survive. A couple of years later, she’s in her mid-thirties, and is diagnosed with cervical cancer and given six months to live. She died 6 months to the day of that diagnosis. My question is, ‘How am I supposed to have faith in a loving God who allows stuff like that to happen to people.’”
I responded as gracious and lovingly as I could, and then encouraged him to begin talking to God about his pain and loss as well. As we prayed together, this strong, focused military veteran turned businessman broke down into tears and I could see God at work through that entire encounter. When I left that day, there was no doubt in my mind…. I made it count and pointing that man to Jesus was the key.
So let me ask you, as you embark on this next year, would a personal theme help you out? Maybe you’re still committed to New Year’s resolutions. If that’s your thing, that’s great!
But let me ask you this…. As Christmas approaches and you get a little extra time with family, and as you approach this new year, what’s your plan to truly MAKE IT COUNT?
P.S. Special thanks to my good friend Stan R. Mitchell for helping me make this site count for something in recent days. He’s written twelve books and hosts two podcasts: The View from the Front and The Search for God.