
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. —Psalm 139:23-24“Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade.” —Harvard Health Publishing
This time of year, we’re inundated with marketers who promise the possibility of a “new year, new
We long for the possibility that next year, things could be
If you achieve everything on your list, will you really be any different?
No amount of
Instead of “new year, new you,” perhaps we should aim for “new year,
True You
Christian spiritual teachers refer to the masks we try to wear as our
“Your false self is your role, title, and personal image that is largely a creation of your own mind and attachments.” —Richard Rohr
To become who God created us to be, we have to
Our true self is the identity given to us by God at our
Our
A New Beginning
Beginning in the 1700s, Methodists would
John Wesley outlined
1. Confide in God: We becoming
“Be sure you are clear in these matters; see that you don’t lie to God.” —John Wesley
2. Compose Your Spirit: We remember our
“No one is too good to take out the trash.” —Acts 2 Staff Axiom
3. Claim the Covenant: We say
“We trust that God is faithful enough and strong enough to carry us into the future.” —Rev. Magrey deVega
4. Choose Faithfulness: Renew your promise every
5. Get to Work: We make
“Therefore there is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him.” —Thomas Merton
Action Steps
Set aside time to reflect on the ways you pursue your false self.
Renew your covenant with God by praying the Wesley Covenant Prayer each day this week.
I am no longer my own by yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
“My additional notes: