I’ve always told my friends in an excited, anticipatory-type-way when they turned 33 they were entering their Jesus year. Most laugh it off or awkwardly avoid the comment. I throw on the end of the conversation, “But remember, He died that year.” Because although Jesus’ ministry accelerated in his 33rd year, it was also the year He fulfilled His calling in the most painful way—on a cross. Makes for a really happy birthday, doesn’t it?

Today is my 33rd birthday. It’s my Jesus year.

I’ve always viewed birthdays as a chance to look back on how far I’ve come, evaluate where I am today and look forward with a fresh start for the future. This practice can be good and bad. 

It’s bad when I get stuck in the past or feel lost in the present. That can happen when I ruminate on what I’ve lost, who’s rejected me or where I’ve been hurt. I also can feel like I’m not where I need to be, I don’t have what it takes or I don’t know who I am.

The good comes when I take a healthy look at where I’ve been by releasing what I’ve done and what’s been done to me, letting go of false expectations and celebrating all the things God has done. I can also accept that where I am today is exactly where God wants me to be, I am exactly who God says that I am and I have everything I need to keep moving forward.

We don’t have to wait for a birthday to take a look around or have a fresh start. One of my favorite things to do is to “fake” a fresh start. Rather than waiting for the New Year or another birthday, I can use the start of the week, the start of a month, the start of a day or even the top of an hour. You don’t have to wait to start. If you’d like to join me today, you can use my birthday as your chance to evaluate and start fresh.

In order to begin something new you have to stop something else. We have finish something before we start something. We have to "take off" before we can "put on." Let's take some things "off" or leave some things behind. 

“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV

Think through the last 6 months or the whole year:

#1 What transitions have you experienced?

Loss (a person via death/divorce, job, home, money, dream, etc.)

Additions (spouse, baby, friend, boyfriend, foster child, grandkids, etc.)

Diagnosis (life adjustments, treatment, surgery, medication)

Job change (promotion, changed departments, quit, retired, job description, etc.)

Moving (houses, suburbs, cities, states)

Finished/started school

Transitions affect more than our daily routines. You've got to grieve losses, make room for additions, mentally accept bad news, physically prepare for change, all the while emotionally navigating all of it in different waves. 

Think through and name the transitions you've experienced in the past 6 months to a year. Next, assign the emotions you dealt with for each one.

This is hard for me, I'm more of a cognitive processor so it takes me some time to name emotions. But it might be easy for you to do. Good, bad, whatever they might be—acknowledge the emotions. (If you need help like I do, scroll to the bottom).

#2  What behaviors, attitudes or sins do you want to leave behind?

Here are some ideas to start:

Hitting the snooze too many times

Neglecting the gym

Skimming your bible instead of studying it

Bad-mouthing your boss

Gossipping with your friends

Overspending to numb the pain

Drinking to numb the pain

Eating to numb the pain

You know what those things are in your life. Put them off of you.

Next, look at today—this present moment. It’s worth stopping here for a quick check-in. Take a deep breath.

#1 How does your body feel right now?

Shoulders up to your ears

Clenched jaw

Tight chest

Anxious leg bounce

Strained eyes

Sore muscles

Achy back

#2 What emotions come up?

Often our bodies reveal our emotions before our brains are able to name them. Your stomach might be telling you that you’re anxious about an upcoming meeting. Your clenched jaw could mean you’re storing anger from a hurtful comment. Excessive soreness could even point to a lack of solid sleep so your body can’t recover. I once developed an eye-twitch when walking into certain situations. Be aware of what your body is telling you today.

#3 What do you need?

Maybe you skipped your time with Jesus this morning and you could use a quick meditation on a Psalm or a short Bible app devo. Have you had too much caffeine and not enough water? Maybe a short walk or stretch to calm your nerves or relax your stiff muscles. Text a friend that you need a specific prayer. Treat yourself to a fizzy water or crunchy snack. What do you need in this moment.

Now, let’s look ahead.

Considering what you've left behind, you'll need some boundaries to ensure you move forward.

#1  What boundaries do you need moving forward?

Sabbath

calendaring/scheduling, communicating to those in your life, determining your fills/drains, turning off your email, slamming your laptop shut until Monday

Work/life

taking advantage of the "focus" tool on your iPhone, talking to your boss about your burnout, physically leaving your work at work, not answering your phone on weekends, saying "no"

Friendships 

declining invites, shutting down gossip, not rescuing them from their emergencies or mistakes, telling them the truth about how you feel when they hurt you

Romantic relationships

physical boundaries, sending him home before 10 p.m., protecting your heart by not fantasizing about the future before it's here

Family (parents, children, siblings) 

not being at every family gathering, not rescuing your kids from life's consequences, asking your sister to stop sharing your private information with your parents

#2 What's the goal behind the goal?

When we just have black and white goals, we beat ourselves up or drop them when we don't nail it. But if we know what's behind the goal—why we picked it, what kind of person we want to be—we are more likely to keep moving forward.

If your goal is to:

Read 50 books

The goal behind the goal might be to be well-read, read more, to never stop learning

If your goal is to:

Eat healthy/Drink Water/Workout 

The goal behind the goal might be to play with your grandkids, protect your body so you can do what you’re called to do, be strong

If your goal is to:

Say "Yes" more

The goal behind the goal might be to grow your community, be someone people can rely on, be consistent

If your goal is to:

Say "No" more

The goal behind the goal might be to be present for your family, protect your mental health, be more intentional

What are your goals? But more importantly, what do these goals say about the kind of person you want to bee moving forward?

Boundaries and goals are for our good and our growth. The courage it takes to initiate a boundary and the effort it takes to fight for a goal are steps toward “putting on the new self.”

I’m staring the down the barrel of another year, my Jesus year nonetheless. If my life is meant to imitate the life of Jesus as His follower, I can expect everything to start to change. I can plan on nothing—my plans have yet to pan out anyway. But I can know that God is with me, He has a plan and I just might get to play my biggest part yet this year. I also know it might look and feel a lot like dying.

Good thing it didn’t end there for Jesus. He may have been crucified that year, but He also defeated death and the grave that year. He didn’t stay buried. In fact He is seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places, and I’m seated there with Him. Don’t believe me?

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV

Not ready to let go of the past?

Even then, in your sin, God made you alive. There’s grace for your past.

Not sure where you’re at today?

You’re saved and seated. Your status is set.

Not sure what’s next?

You won’t be able to count the grace and kindness that’s coming for you in Christ Jesus.

That’s a pretty good fresh start.