What are your goals for 2025?

And most importantly, on what values do you base your goals?

As I wrote the original note, which was for my newsletter, I was sitting in my parent’s living room enjoying the laughter and games of my nephews and nieces and the jokes of my father and brother. 🙂 Unfortunately, since the holidays are over, I’ll soon pack and head back home.

I’m taking lots of wonderful memories -and pictures- with me.

But the best part of this year’s holiday reunion was Christmas Eve. As it’s common in Latin America, we celebrate Christmas on December 24. Normally, I attend Christmas Eve service with my husband.

This year, my parents organized a Bible study as part of the celebrations. Since we total 12 people (my parents, my brother and I, our spouses and our children), my father had us read 12 Bible verses (one per person). We each picked a numbered paper from a basket, which we read in order.

These verses walked us from ancient prophecies of Jesus’ birth to the angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary.

After the reading, my father expressed his gratitude to the Lord for His gift to humanity and for allowing us to be together this Christmas. He also thanked God for the family he and my mom created and the offspring that has resulted from their union. Then we prayed, sang and opened our gifts!

Here are the Bible verses, in case you want to do the same with your family. They are from the NIV version of the Bible.

Micah 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Luke 1:26-35

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

 And if you have a bigger family, you can add Luke 2:1-21, the nativity story itself!

Even though the Bible study was meant to be part of Christmas, it helped me start the new year with renewed appreciation for the best gifts we can have as humans: God’s salvation, family, and good health.

Thus, my goals for this new year reflect this sentiment:

1) to learn more about God by reading the Bible and praying

2) to grow closer to my family

3) to improve my health. 

What are your goals for 2025? 

Leave a comment below!

How about you? Do you have other book recommendations? Add your choices in the comments!