Three things to do on 31st December
On 31st December, we bid adieu to another year that offered us the golden opportunity to move closer to God and attain the supreme goal of God realization. It is an important day to reflect that we have just spent another 365 days from the limited number of days we have on planet earth.
So before we look forward to another year, let us look back at the year that went by. On this 31st December 2015, let us do three things that will fortify our spiritual journey in 2016.
- Say ‘Thank you’ – the most powerful prayer: “Thank you God for all that you have given me this year”. This is one of the most powerful prayers we can say on 31st December. If 2015 offered many favorable circumstances we should thank God for gracing us with good health, relations, love and prosperity. However, if this year presented many challenges, we should still gracefully thank God. We should think deeply that all our challenges were simply God sent opportunities to grow internally in love, humility and surrender.
- Measure our internal success: At the end of this year, the world may measure our success on the basis of our material gains, but God has a very different idea of success. The difference is that while the world applauds for our external achievements, God rejoices in our internal achievements. A true measure of our success this year will be the extent to which we have grown in tolerance, humility, and devotion. So, we should spend some time evaluating our internal growth over the last year and make a note of all the points which we would wish to improve within the next one year.
- Rededicate ourselves to our spiritual goals: On 31st December we should rededicate ourselves to our spiritual goals by strengthening our old resolves and making new ones. Whether our resolve is to dedicate our energies in seva, sadhana or to grow in humility, let us look upon each of these resolves as stepping stones in our spiritual journey. This will not only give us the inspiration to make new resolves but also to stay committed to them.
To read Swami Mukundananda’s New Year Message go to his Official Facebook Page.