I went for a long walk this morning, and (no surprise) noticed many people out walking or running. This is the day when we turn over a new leaf, set our goals for another year. The calendar has turned to a page that is fresh and white, with a new number - 2014. Could this be the year our dreams become reality? The possibilities are endless. The old is gone, the new is here - we get to re-draw the picture, or re-write the script. It's an opportunity too good to miss.
It feels good to have another chance, doesn't it? As a kid, I remember - every September - entering a new classroom, getting new notebooks, and writing beautifully in those clean, perfect notebooks for at least the first week. But then the assignments piled up, I started to hurry, and got careless. Pretty soon, my writing was looking messy (no wonder we called our notebooks 'scribblers'). And every September I'd try again. I never gave up.
Looking back through several journal entries, I notice that each year, the goals I come up with are often very similar to what I resolved in previous years. Maybe this is because I never really 'arrive'. Most times, my determination holds strong for a few months, until I (ever so slowly) slide back into old familiar habits. I start to eat the wrong foods, I neglect to set specific time aside for my spiritual growth, I grow weary of searching out publishers for my work.
It's likely that I'm not alone in this. If everyone met their goals, being granted new opportunities in a new year wouldn't be nearly as appealing. There would be no talk of New Years' resolutions. If we accomplished our goals, we wouldn't need that fresh calendar page to give us hope. We'd simply carry on from one success to the next. But our personalities, formative influences and circumstances often hamper our ability to be persistent and consistent.
What comforts me in all of this is that I don't need a new year to begin again. Every day affords a fresh start; God gives me that opportunity with each new sunrise.
But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam 3:21-23)
God's mercies are there to pick me up, and they're never ending. How amazing is that? No matter how many times I'm stuck in my failure, He urges me to acknowledge my weakness, submit it to Him, and move on with renewed hope in His faithfulness.
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. (Isaiah 43:19)
A new thing - the desert's gonna bloom! Forgetting the past, leaving my failures behind, I have new hope, knowing I'm loved for who I am, and that my dreams are valued. So I resolve to pay attention; I'm eager to perceive the newness that's ready to spring forth! How about you?