Do you try to stay awake?
Do you plan a party with your friends?
Do you wait for the sparkling ball to drop in NYC to mark 12:00?
New Year’s!
Some people look forward to New Year’s Eve and make plans to celebrate and wait for the beginning of a New Year they hope will be better than the last year.
How do you feel about starting another year?
This year I am facing a new year pretty peacefully — I guess I am just pleased to be here!
Gary and I got married on New Year’s Eve several years ago, and so celebrating our anniversary has importance for us in addition to it being New Year’s Eve.
Part of experiencing an anniversary is looking back at how far we have come, what we have gone through together, and how we have grown through it all. Good memories and painful ones weave together to make our rich history as a couple and family. What will come next for us?
As Christians we are not helpless before the passage of time and the questions an unknown future brings.
Although we may have personal struggles with our sinful nature, we know that if we have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our personal savior and Lord that He promised the Holy Spirit would come to us and help us.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. We are made new in Christ. Although we may be stacking up the years, Christ and His power makes us anew spiritually as we confess our sins, ask His forgiveness, and decide to allow Him to be our Lord and Savior. There is hope!
There are times in our lives we feel wrung out, worn out, and weary. But we have a promise to hang onto! “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 God will supply a renewable spiritual strength to surpass our expectations and meet our needs.
If we stop to allow our imagination to run wild in a negative way, we can become deeply fearful of what might happen in the future. But Hebrews 13:6 reminds us of an important truth: “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Along with 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Pray, talk to God about what you are afraid of; He will give you comfort and confidence.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a powerful verse about Gods provision for those who believe, trust, and follow Christ: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,’plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
As Christians, we go into a new year with our Savior and Lord; and we know He will be with us no matter what.
So we will be ok.
Psalm 20:4: “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
God bless you all!
