Rooted Intentions: A Different Kind of New Year List
- Debra Flaming
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Sunday, January 4
January arrives quietly.
The fields are still resting here at Flaming Acres. The dahlias remain tucked safely away, waiting for warmer days. The pace slows just enough to invite reflection—and with that reflection often comes a familiar question:
What do I want this year to look like?
This time of year, we hear a lot about resolutions. Goals. Ambitions. Bucket lists filled with things to conquer, fix, or finally accomplish. While there is nothing wrong with dreaming or planning, I’ve found that lasting, meaningful change rarely comes from pressure alone.
From a Christian perspective, true growth begins somewhere deeper.
The Difference Between Resolutions and Rooted Intentions
Resolutions tend to focus on outcomes:
Do more.
Be better.
Try harder.
Rooted intentions focus on formation:
Who am I becoming?
What is God inviting me into?
Where do I need to grow, heal, or trust more fully?
Scripture reminds us that growth is God’s work, partnered with our willingness.
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:6
Just like in the garden, we prepare the soil, but we do not force the growth.
A Faith-Filled Take on a “Bucket List”
Instead of a checklist driven by urgency, what if our lists this year were shaped by intention and prayer?
Not just places to go or projects to finish—but ways we hope to live more fully, faithfully, and generously.
A different kind of bucket list might include:
Learning to listen more patiently.
Making space for rest without guilt.
Choosing gratitude over comparison.
Being more present with the people God has placed in our lives.
Trusting God with the areas we’ve tried to control.
These are not flashy goals. They won’t earn applause. But they quietly shape a life.
Growth Takes Time—and Grace
One of the greatest lessons farming has taught us is that growth cannot be rushed. Seeds planted today will not bloom tomorrow. Roots form long before flowers appear.
Spiritual growth is much the same.
Some changes take a season. Others take years. And many happen so gradually that we don’t notice them until we look back and realize how far God has carried us.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” — Philippians 1:6
That promise holds true whether our year unfolds exactly as planned—or not.
An Invitation for the Year Ahead
As this new year begins, perhaps the most meaningful list you can make is a simple one:
What do I want to surrender?
What do I want to cultivate?
Where do I need God’s help the most?
Write it down. Pray over it. Return to it gently throughout the year.
Here at Flaming Acres, January is a season of dreaming—of planning quietly, trusting deeply, and preparing faithfully for what will grow in time.
May this year be less about striving and more about becoming.Less about perfection and more about presence.Less about checking boxes and more about walking closely with the One who leads us.
A Closing Prayer for the New Year
Lord, as we step into this new year, we come not with perfect plans, but with open hearts.
Help us release what no longer serves Your purpose in us.
Plant in us what is good, lasting, and true.
Teach us to walk patiently, to trust Your timing, and to rest in Your faithfulness.
Where we feel weary, renew us. Where we feel uncertain, guide us.
And where we long to grow, remind us that You are the One who brings the increase.
May this year be shaped not by striving, but by surrender—not by fear, but by faith.
We place our hopes, our dreams, and our becoming into Your hands.
Amen.
With hope for the year ahead,
Debra Flaming
