Take a good look at your walk with God this year and see how you have fared in that regard. This is what wise people do towards the end of the year.
Life is not an accident. You are not a factory product or the whims of an inventive genius! Not at all! No person just happened. We are all carefully and wonderfully fashioned by the Almighty God in His own image to fulfill His primary purpose for us. That purpose is fundamentally to show forth His praise and glory, to be as He is.
Now, looking back, would you in all sincerity say that this year you have fulfilled that purpose? Would you in all honesty say that you have truly walked worthy of your calling? Remember that your primary calling is simply to follow Jesus Christ. Have you truly been following Him?
The next thing is showing forth His praise. Has your life brought Him praise or shame? Have you made any serious impact on the life of someone else? Did someone embrace Christ because of the way you live? How much of your time and resources did you invest in others to make them better than you met them? How much time did you spend praying for others, including even those who wronged you?
A Christian carries the power of God to remake a broken world in the likeness of God. Jesus says we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Well, that is what He wants us to be. But looking back now, would you say that you have been that? How strong is your light? How pungent is your flavour? Did you spend much of the year swimming against the tide of your Christian faith and confession? How many people did you preach the Gospel of salvation to? How many people did you share your blessings with?
As the year gradually rolls to an end, it would help if each one of us takes stock of our doings and do an honest self-evaluation to see where we failed and what made us fail. Failing is not man's biggest problem. I tell you what is! It is the refusal or reluctance to admit our failure and ask for divine help not to keep failing in the arduous journey of life. As you reflect on the life you have led this year, pray that God will help you to overcome your weaknesses and to follow Him more diligently in the years ahead. Much grace!