How to Close a Year Well (and Begin Again with Clarity)
The end of a year always invites reflection. For some, it brings gratitude. For others, disappointment. For many, a strange mix of exhaustion and hope.
Years ago, I wrote about closing a year with intention. Since then, life has changed. I’m married. We have kids. We planted a church. I’ve learned (often the hard way) that fruitfulness isn’t always about trying harder, but also includes clarity, alignment, and faithful rhythms.
So here’s how I now close a year and step into the next with a clear heart and a steady pace.
1. Start with God, not goals
Before lists or calendars, I seek to get alone with God.
I review the year prayerfully.
What brought real joy?
What felt heavy?
Where did I clearly see God at work?
Where was I resisting Him?
I’ve recently been reminded that gratitude is the doorway into “true spirituality.” When I rush past gratitude, I tend to plan from fear or unholy ambition.
I also ask for a word or theme for the year. I don’t force it. I listen. Often, I don’t understand it immediately, but by year’s end, it becomes obvious how God was forming me through it.
Plans matter. But presence comes first.
2. Revisit your vision (not to impress, but to align)
Every year, I reflect on my personal vision statement. Rarely do I overhaul it. More often, I refine it.
A vision statement isn’t meant to be clever. It’s meant to be clarifying. It answers the question: What kind of life am I actually trying to live?
For me, it’s simple: love and enjoy God, love and lead my family well, and advance God’s Kingdom in wild places by the Spirit.
If your vision doesn’t stir affection or create focus, it probably needs work. A good vision doesn’t add pressure. It removes noise. If you don’t yet have a vision statement for your life, spend some time crafting a working placeholder.
3. Take your wiring seriously
One of the biggest changes since I wrote the original article going into 2020 is how seriously I take how God wired me.
Personality, spiritual gifts, strengths, limits, energy rhythms. These aren’t distractions from spirituality. They’re part of stewardship.
I now review things like:
When I’m most effective (mornings, early week)
What drains me vs. gives life
My primary gifts and frustrations
Where I tend to overextend or neglect empathy
I also keep all my personality test results in one document (DISC, Myers-Briggs, spiritual gift assessments, Working Genius, Emotional Intelligence, etc.).
Ignoring your wiring leads to burnout. Honoring it leads to sustainable fruit.
God doesn’t ask us to be someone else. He asks us to be faithful with what He’s entrusted to us.
4. Review the year honestly (personal, family, ministry)
I break life into three primary arenas: personal, family, and ministry. Each year, I rate and reflect.
Not to shame myself, but to tell the truth.
Where did we flourish as a family?
What rhythms actually brought life?
What areas drifted or became reactive?
I’ve learned to review with curiosity, not condemnation. Honest reflection is an act of hope. Personal life could also include intellectual, relational, physical, emotional, etc.
5. Build rhythms, not just resolutions
One of the most important shifts for me is moving from finish-line goals to forming rhythms. Both are good, but rhythms have the most lasting fruit.
That’s where a rule of life comes in.
Not a rigid schedule, but a flexible trellis that supports growth. Mine includes:
Daily time with God
Weekly Sabbath
Consistent movement and rest
Regular prayer rhythms
Family meals and nights together
Planned solitude and creativity-building space
Date nights
6. Name a few clear priorities (less, but better)
I used to set dozens of goals in every area of my life. I’ve now hit a point in life where most things are actualized, and now it’s more about prioritizing and maximizing what’s there for potency and multiplication.
I ask:
What must multiply this year?
What needs pruning?
What distractions need to go?
Every “yes” is also a “no.” Clarity requires courage.
I still dream big. But I hold those dreams with open hands, trusting that God’s plans are better than mine and often different.
7. End with trust
The future is always uncertain. Scripture is clear about that. But uncertainty isn’t meant to paralyze us.
We plan. We pray. We steward. And then we trust.
God isn’t looking for flawless execution. He’s looking for faithful multiplication.
Close the year with gratitude. Begin the next with clarity. Walk forward with humility and hope.
The year ahead is full of potential if we’ll align our lives with the heart of the Master and steward what He’s entrusted to us.
We should plan well, but always keep in the forefront of our minds James’s posture: “If the Lord wills, let’s live and do this or that.”
Here is a worksheet to help you live out the content above:
1. Begin with God
Before answering anything else, slow down.
What am I most grateful for from this past year?
Where did I most clearly sense God’s presence or guidance?
Where did I resist God, rush ahead, or operate from fear? What needs to be repented of?
Is there anyone I need to forgive?
As I sit with the Lord, what word, phrase, or theme begins to surface for the year ahead?
2. Revisit Your Vision
A vision statement clarifies the kind of life you are aiming to live.
My current life vision (write it out):
Does this vision still feel true and life-giving? Why or why not?
What needs refining, not reinventing?
3. Review Your Wiring & Gifting
Consider how God has uniquely formed you.
When am I most energized and effective?
What consistently drains me or leads toward burnout?
What gifts or strengths felt most fruitful this year?
What personality test should I take to better learn about myself?
Where do my limitations invite dependence on God and others?
4. Year-in-Review: Life Domains
Personal
Where did I flourish spiritually, emotionally, or physically?
Where did I drift or neglect healthy rhythms?
Family
What moments or rhythms brought the most life to our family?
Where do we need more presence, margin, or intentionality?
Ministry / Work
What fruit am I thankful for this year?
What felt misaligned, reactive, or unsustainable?
5. Forming a Rule of Life
A rule of life is a set of rhythms that support love of God and others.
Daily
One daily rhythm I want to protect:
Weekly
One weekly rhythm that brings rest or renewal:
Monthly / Seasonal
One rhythm that helps me stay grounded long-term:
6. Naming Priorities for the Year Ahead
Less, but better.
Top 1–3 priorities for the coming year:
What needs pruning or saying no to in order to protect these priorities?
7. Closing in Trust
What am I being invited to trust God with this year?
A simple prayer as I step into the year ahead:
"If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."