I don’t think there is anyone who does not want this year to be their best so far. We all want the best for ourselves, our children, family, friends, employers and employees. Most people will probably answer ‘yes’ when asked if they want this year to be their best. It would be a decisive ‘yes’. I tested it on quite a few people, and the answer was YES, every time. Then I asked a follow-up question. What would make this year your best year ever? To my surprise, all people want this year to be their best year ever, but most people don’t know what would make it their best year ever. It seems that most of us want to experience the best, but we don’t know what the best looks like, what it is, what it means for us.
In the Bible, we read about a story of two blind men. They were blind, but when asked what they wanted, they immediately answered that they want to see.
Matthew 20:29-34 (NLT) As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
Many people want this year to be their best but don’t know what they want. They don’t know what their best year must look like. They are blinded by their fears, facts and feelings. Fears of not knowing what the future holds, fear that they don’t have the resources and they don’t have the skills to achieve their desired outcomes.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’
Our feelings blind us. The one day we are on top of the world, and the next day we feel we are not going to make it. So, our feelings and emotions control us, and we cannot focus. Faith doesn’t rely on feelings.
Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Lastly, facts can blind us. Focusing on the economic situation, focusing on statistics, for example, 7 out of 10 marriages end in divorce. Therefore, some argue they cannot get married, which is why 60% of young couples just live together; they don’t get married because they cannot overcome these facts. Faith does not rely on facts. It relies on the evidence of things not seen.
So, this brings us to the critical question: What will make this year your best year ever?
Be specific.
Define it in one word, then decide it, proclaim it, frame it, own it and action it.