The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

WHEN a new year rolls in, it is inevitable that so-called resolutions are made. Whether it’s taking on a new hobby or setting health and fitness goals – people have made it a tradition to list objectives they wish to accomplish.

In an interview with Tribune Religion, we asked some of our readers about a different type of resolution, a more divine and nonmaterial resolution. They shared with us their prayer and spiritual goals of 2019:

Bennae Beneby’s prayer for 2019 is for God to truly transform her from potential to power. For her, this means no more waiting or being fearful of what could have been, but executing dreams and turning them into reality.

“I don’t want to be full of potential anymore; I want to be whole, for God to shape me into His perfect will and take me out of my own selfish desires. As from the womb He promised greatness and I want to genuinely feel that. I want to be more obedient and less stubborn. Also, to experience true happiness and to detour gracefully from anything or anyone that will stop my spiritual, mental or financial growth. I want to walk into my true purpose and just continue to have the guidance needed for this journey to greatness. I want to be exactly as God called me to be,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kayla Bullard’s aim is to be much closer to God. As a Christian, Ms Bullard is firm believers in her faith, but she knows even Christians can fail.

“On a daily I ask God to forgive me for things I do that are not pleasing to Him. Throughout the years I have not only seen my faith grow, but I have felt it. It is so unbelievable to me when I hear persons say God isn’t real or they believe in a higher power but cannot put a name to it. For me, that name is Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. God has done miraculous things in my life and I have felt him work wonders for me and my family,” said Ms Bullard.

For this year and in the years to come, the young woman said her prayer and spiritual goals are to keep the focus on God, to pray more, speak to Him more, and show more compassion and humility towards others.

“If there is ever a doubt in my mind of God’s love, I pray that God strengthens my belief to always know He is real and I am his child, a child of God. He has never failed me yet,” she said.

Expressing similar sentiments, Bianca Dean said every year her desire is to grow closer to God. But what is different this time around is, she said, is that she now has an actual plan how to go about it.

“I am intentional. My time of devotion is first thing in the morning time when I say my prayers, sing worship songs, read my devotional and meditate on God’s word. Then throughout the day I talk silently to God. This helps me to feel much closer to Him and that is my ultimate goal. I believe that if I keep this up my relationship with God will not only grow by leaps and bounds, but I will experience a much deeper level of intimacy with him. And this is what fills my heart,” said Ms Dean.

Susanne Johnson said for her it’s easy to declare the typical goal of attending church and praying more often, but beyond this, her desire is to really leave worry behind.

“I saw this sign on Pinterest that said ‘Give it to God and go to bed’, and I want to put that on my bedside nightstand to remember that God knows everything and He has my back. Last year I worried a lot about everything and it affected my mood and how I related to my family and friends. So this year I just want to increase my faith in knowing that God will give me peace. I also would love if this year was the year I could read the entire Bible,” she said.

Michelle Adderley’s intention this year is also to delving deeper into the Bible, as well as pray more and become a more giving person. Her hope is to get closer to Christ so that she can fully embody the person He created her to be, and then use that insight to help others in any way needed.

“My goal is to remember that God cares for every single thing going on in our lives and so to take all my concerns to Him. I also want to always give Him constant praise for His mercies and blessings. I want to always remember that we are here only by His grace and that His grace is always sufficient,” she said.