Here we are on the brink of a new year full of uncertainties. Instead of resolutions, I'm making some wishes for you: I want you to thrive, to have a deep, authentic, soul-satisfying life. I want you to get through 2025 with flying colors, come what may. It may sound like wishful thinking to you, but I want to save you the anxiety of wondering what the next crisis will be, as well as the stress of damage control when it strikes.
I’m not saying 2025 will be calm. The world (including the USA) voted for turbulence in 2024, throwing out many ruling political parties and replacing them with others who would shake things up. In countries where votes were prohibited or rigged, revolutionary turbulence rose. Politically, economically, and socially, 2025 is shaping up like a perfect storm. Nevertheless, I still believe you can thrive through it all.
The massive uncertainties make 2025 the perfect year to latch onto a life strategy that will guide us and work for us no matter what happens around us. If we had such a no-lose strategy, we would never get disoriented or depressed, no matter how crazy 2025 becomes.
A no-lose strategy actually does exist, but of course there is a catch. It only works for people who agree to lose big at the beginning when they sign up. Here is the deal as Jesus the Messiah described it:
“Anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.” (John 12.25, The Message)
In other words, all calculated attempts at self-preservation end in self-destruction. The only sure way to hold on to our lives is to let them go! Jesus is telling us that even in times of crisis the best thing we can do for our own well-being and the good of the world is to put the good of the world above our own well-being!
That sounds like a naively idealistic formula for burnout, and it is, unless we use the same key principle that Jesus used to make the formula work for him. Instead of trying to do the maximum good for everyone (heal ALL the blind, feed ALL the poor, etc.), he only did the specific healing, feeding, etc. that he saw as God’s personal assignments for him. His goal was maximum attention to God’s ongoing instructions—not maximum activity or maximum impact.
According to Jesus, the airline safety drill about oxygen masks is backwards. “Fit your own mask first; then help others.” That is how we typically live life in general—take care of ourselves, then help others with whatever resources are left over. Jesus tells us and shows us how to reverse that, giving up our own life for the welfare of others and trusting God to give us back the life we laid down.
In 2025 will we agree with Jesus that self-defense is a dead end, while self-sacrifice is the road to authentic life? We can bring life by laying down our lives for others, even those enemies who are creating our crisis. We can thrive by helping others thrive.
I'm talking about the ability to “See Yourself iN Christ” (SYNC); to become a doer in Jesus's master plan to connect, heal, and bless the world. That master plan is what determines the future of the world in spite of any crises that may arrive in 2025. The Messiah sees them coming, and he will get them ALL to dovetail into the plan he master-minded before Day One of creation.
That is what I believe, but don’t take my word for it. Try it and prove it for yourself. See where you are by the end of the year or even the end of the week after doing any of the following activities you'll find at www.syncx.org:
· Browse the annual cycle of SYNC seasons to see seven ways we give up our lives for the welfare of others
· Try a new prayer daily for seven days, the "SYNC Campaign Prayer"
· Develop your ability to listen for the next personal assignment God has for you
· Check out the “Life Season Tool Kit” for activities or readings that suit you
Any of these activities will SYNC you with the destiny the Messiah has set for our world. Participation in SYNC is a no-lose adventure. Your anxiety level will plummet in 2025 if you listen for God’s assignments for you and stick to them one at a time. Happy New Year!
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