As we wind down this year of the Lord, it is good for us to look back over this year and ask some questions. Am I a better person now than I was at the beginning of the year? Have I grown in my relationship with God? What progress have I made in my spiritual life? What resolution did I make that I have fulfilled? What resolution was not fulfilled? What could I have done differently? Reflecting on my prayer time, is there a consistent message God has been speaking to me? If so, what have I done with it?  We take this inventory to learn from the past and to prepare for the future. For if we are not growing spiritually, we are declining.