Are you ready for the calendar to turn over? Are you hoping the new year will be better than the last one? Are you setting goals for yourself in the new year? Have you decided you will change direction in the coming year? What is your motivation for the new year?
When the calendar turns over to a new year, many people have renewed hope and renewed determination. Unfortunately, many of their resolutions fall to the wayside within a few weeks. They have good intentions. They may want to change. Yet, their resolve wains.
A new year may open new possibilities for us. Some will be graduating from high school or college and looking to get into the workforce full time. Their dreams are in front of them. They have high hopes. Their desire to be productive members of society is strong. As parents and grandparents, we wish them well and cheer them on.
Some are starting new jobs and hoping they turn out to be the right job. They have spent months (and maybe years) looking for the right job while working another job to pay the bills. Their hope is high. The new job is exciting. There is a lot to learn. They dive into the new job headfirst, seeking to make a good first impression.
Some are looking for a new relationship. They may have broken off a bad relationship late in the previous year. They are being more selective with who they decide to date. They may be looking for specific qualities for a future mate. They feel some trepidations yet are also filled with hope.
God did a new thing. We just celebrated it last week. He sent his Son to be an infant born of a virgin. His Son would grow into an adult and minister to the people He encountered for a little more than three years. His teachings would amaze the people of the day, and they still amaze us today. His miracles of feeding thousands with very little food, healing the sick, healing the lepers, and raising people from the dead would both amaze people and draw them to Him.
As we seek to start something new in the coming year, perhaps we should start by spending more time focusing on Jesus and all He has done. We should also seek to see Him working in our daily lives. Jesus has promised to never leave us (Matthew 28:20). Might I suggest we remember each and every day that Jesus is with us.
If we want our new year to be better, we must focus more on Jesus and less on this world. That doesn’t mean everything will go as we plan. It does mean that we can count on God to get us through whatever we may face with more peace, comfort, and joy than we would otherwise. Life can be hard. It is made easier by depending on God in all situations.
Isaiah 43:19
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Marty Pressey 