By Steven Norris
We are one week into the new year. How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Have you broken any yet? This is the time that many will make fresh commitments to do the things that keep slipping to the bottom of the to-do list — eat healthier, go to the gym, get back to church, get a little more sleep, take that well-earned vacation time, and so on.
The sad reality is that most of these resolutions will fail, not because we lack good intentions, but because we try to exert external pressures to change inner habits and attitudes. Too often, we try to “white knuckle” our way into life through force of will, or worse, shame and guilt. Is there a better way?
Instead of focusing our time and attention on resolutions, how might our year be changed by a focus on revelations? As we reflect on our lives and the ways that God has been at work in them, what does that reflection reveal about ourselves, our world, and our future?
You will never grow to maturity in your spiritual life without taking time to examine yourself. Unreflective lives are characterized by shallowness and repeating the same mistakes over and over again. By taking time to reflect on the meaning and significance of our experiences, we can learn from them and grow. By taking time to look for God in the day-to-day activities of our lives, we can better discern the movement of the Spirit and the lessons God is teaching us.
One of the spiritual practices that was life-giving to me in 2025 was the Ignatian Examen. Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish priest and theologian who experienced a profound relationship with God. One of his most helpful practices was the daily examination of conscience. In it, he sought to identify the ways that his experiences were drawing him closer to God and the ways in which they pushed him further away. He sought to trace the movement of God in his daily work, prayer, and interactions with others.
For about five months, I asked the following questions as I reflected on my day: For what moments today am I most grateful? Where did I sense God’s presence most fully today? When did I feel most discontented, uncomfortable, or far from God? What troubled or challenged me? What were my feelings and reactions during key moments of the day? What is my hope or intention for tomorrow, asking for grace to live more fully?
The beauty of these questions is that anyone can do them. You do not have to be a Bible scholar or master in the art of prayer and meditation. All you have to do is pay attention to your life (you are the expert on that) and pay attention to the ways you are experiencing God in it. After reflecting on these questions, I allowed them to guide me in prayer — confession for the places I had fallen short, gratitude for the ways God was present, and intercession for things out of my control.
May you live reflectively in the year ahead and be open to the revelation of God about who you are, what you value, and the kind of life God is calling you to live.