One Way to Practice Being Christlike in the New Year

The new year represents a chance to start anew and become better, healthier versions of ourselves.

Soon, some of us will want to trim out the excess from our lives by starting a new diet, losing weight, or dropping a bad habit. Others of us will feel the pull toward adding something meaningful to our lives, such as giving back to others through volunteer service, spending more time with family, or reading more books like the Bible.

While we could set new goals at any time of the year, the fresh start of the new year is an invigorating time to become more focused and a version of ourselves that is more closely aligned with teachings of the Bible.

A common New Year's resolution among believers is one of selfless service and helping others in need. The act of helping others is as important as ever right now, as we continue to experience an ongoing pandemic in which millions of Americans have experienced loss, including job loss.

For many of those millions, this loss not only represents a loss of income, but also a loss of their healthcare program, which is necessary at all times, and especially during a global pandemic.

How can Christians practically help those in need this new year?

One way that over 200,000 Americans currently help their fellow Christians pay for their medical expenses is through membership in a healthsharing community, Liberty HealthShare.

Through a process called healthcare sharing, Liberty HealthShare helps their members afford their medical expenses while also lightening the burden of medical expenses for their fellow members.

Each month, healthsharing members commit to contributing a monthly 'share' amount to their sharing community, and as fellow members steward their health and schedule needed medical services, these eligible medical expenses are matched to members' monthly share amounts.

While healthsharing helps our fellow brothers and sisters in their time of need, it can also help you become more committed to your own health and to reaching your health goals.

In addition to joining a community of members who support and encourage each other in times of need, membership in Liberty HealthShare also provides members with access to cost saving resources such as discounts on dental, vision, hearing, and chiropractic costs. Members can also save on prescriptions through their HealthShareRx program and Liberty TeleHealth offers the opportunity to connect with a provider from the comfort of home.

Liberty HealthShare also shares toward an annual wellness visit of up to $400 for each member, as a way to help ensure that members are able to be good stewards of their health.

Liberty HealthShare offers their members the ability to assist one another financially through the sharing of medical expenses.

But they also provide a way for members to share prayers and well wishes with each other through a secure, private site called ShareBox.

This allows people who otherwise may not have any other way of interacting or assisting other like-minded Christians to connect and offer prayer, encouragement, and support to another when it's needed most.

Through the financial and emotional support that Liberty HealthShare members give each other, they are following the instructions given to us in Romans 12:13 which states that we should "Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

As we move towards the new year, let's set goals that help us become more compassionate and Christ-like, together.

Image courtesy: Getty Images / Oliver Rossi

To learn more about healthcare sharing programs at Liberty HealthShare, request a free decision guide.

Since 1995, Liberty HealthShare has equipped health-conscious individuals and families to make wise healthcare decisions. Our supportive community commits to bearing one another’s burdens in prayer, encouragement, and financial support. By emphasizing good stewardship of our bodies and our healthcare spending, and providing helpful advice, we help our members stay in good health, budget for medical needs, and reduce the overwhelming complexity of navigating our nation’s current medical care system.