Before a weaver begins weaving a pattern into the cloth she’s making, there must be a clear picture of what that cloth is to be. Is it a Tartan plaid for a scarf or a herringbone for a jacket. Regardless, the first priority before beginning to make the cloth is to know what the cloth will eventually be.
I’m still working out the idea of patterns in your life. Rather than resolutions or goals, I’m thinking more about what my life looks like and then living into it.
You must be someone before figuring out what to do.
Jesus wanted us to be the kind of person who “leans on” (translation of the Greek that John uses for believe in) or “leans toward” him. The first thing is to be a person with a relationship with Jesus.
Beyond that, what else would you like to be. Andy Stanley recently talked about writing the script for the talk the pastor will give at your funeral. There might be a little about what you did, but mostly it will be about who you were.
You might, for example, write down a few keywords that describe who you are/striving to be. Honest. Transparent. Servant. Trustworthy.
If you see yourself as a good teacher leading people into faith and knowledge, then your to do list becomes easier to figure out. You will do things that help you become a better teacher. And you will do things to put yourself in a teaching situation.
Even more foundational are the qualities that guide daily life. Honesty, for example, means when you are faced with a situation where you might want to squirm out through the use of falsehood, you decline that urge and deal honestly.
By striving to be the sort of person you envision–the whole cloth so to speak–you begin picking up habits that move you in that direction.
That’s where the Spiritual Disciplines come in. Developed over millennia, the practices of study, prayer, meditation, celebration, worship and the rest help you become that person you want to be.
Faith Venture 
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