If you live in the U.S., you’ve (hopefully) processed your taxes by now. (If not, get to it!) Going through documents in preparation for taxes gives you a snapshot of the past year. Consider:

• What were your priorities?
• What have you justified?
• How have you been blessed?
• Where did you invest?

Dig deeper and reflect on the past year. You’ve likely spent significant time preparing your taxes. Spend some time reflecting on your life as a whole over the past year.

Priorities. Where did you spend your money? What did you give away? What was essential in your life? What did you ignore?

Justifications. What’s important enough to document? What stands out that you want to “prove” with evidence. If you created a receipt for the year, what would be on the receipt?

Blessings. How has God provided for you? Think beyond the bottom line of income. Consider an unexpectedly low bill or an appliance or vehicle that continues to run. Mentally walk through your daily routine and consider blessings you might often take for granted.

Investments. How have you invested your time, energy and resources? Are you more concerned with worldly rewards or eternal benefits? Are you more concerned about the interest and dividends, the whats and how much of investment, or the to whom and when?

Reflecting on the past is important in helping us move into the future. Use this process to set goals for the coming months and year. Set goals and regularly evaluate how you’re doing. You might need to make some adjustments along the way, but at the end of the year, the bottom line can show growth, commitment, and faithful living.

We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying. Hebrews 12:1-3