“The unexamined life is not worth living.” This claim was made by Socrates, one of the wisest philosophers of ancient times. 

It’s pretty easy to drift aimlessly through life, just surviving day-to-day. But here we are, at the brink of a new year. What better opportunity to stop and examine things!

We see this encouraged throughout the Bible. Moses admonished the Israelites to stop before they charged into the Promised Land to consider what they had been through and what God had done. “Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 6:12)

The psalms frequently encourage us to recount God’s past deliverances and blessings. “I will remember the works of the Lord…I will reflect on all you have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:11-12)

The apostle Paul calls believers to look back and to “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ…without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)

As we approach the end of another year, it’s a good chance to “take care,”  “to remember,”  to reflect,” and “to ponder!”

I am quite amazed at all that has happened in my life the past year. I have watched a grandson grow from a newborn infant to a toddling one-year-old. I finished a year of teaching a challenging new class. I celebrated my nephew’s marriage. 

Something I will never forget is sitting at a cafe in Cinque Terre, Italy, and finding out my book was listed on Amazon, then sharing a celebratory toast with the group of chaperones on our senior class trip. A monumental task that had brought so much doubt and uncertainty had actually come to fruition.

What has 2025 looked like for you? Carve out some time to stop and reflect on (and even write down) what God has done this year. Recalling God’s faithfulness fosters gratitude and strengthens our faith as we move forward in the next 365 days.

Questions to ponder:

What were some highs of the past year? What were some lows?

What hurdles have I overcome?

Where did I see God at work? What prayers has He answered? How did He lead and guide me in ways that I maybe didn’t even realize at the moment? 

How have I changed? How have I grown? What have I learned?

What specifically do I need to acknowledge God for and thank Him for?

Feel free to answer some of these questions in the comments! I would love to hear.