New Year's Resolutions

I've never really been one for New Year's Resolutions.  I don't see the point.  Surely it's just setting yourself up for a failure?  Why, just because it is the start of a new year, am I suddenly going to be able to start doing something or to stop doing something I haven't managed before?

 

No, New Year's Resolutions are not for me.

 

However, they are all around at the moment and I am even more aware of their use in advertising campaigns in shops this year.  Signs shout at you from different stores with suggested resolutions: Must be more organised hovers above the stationary and home office supplies.  Must lose weight shouts at you from the healthy food aisles.  Must wake up earlier is positioned persuasively near to the alarm clocks.

 

And each of these things are good in themselves, but I object to them interfering in my shopping and I object to the insinuation that a shop cares about anything apart from my wallet.

 

No, New Year's Resolutions are not for me.

 

However, that being said, I do think it's a good time of year to reflect on our values and consider the year ahead.

"Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

 

[Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT]

 

This year, I have no intentions of setting any resolutions.  But I want to spend some time re-evaluating my life.  I want to lose metaphorical 'weight' this year - the things in my life and in my heart which slow me down and so easily trip me up.

 

I want to run a different race this year.

 

 

 

First Footing

There is a Scottish/Northern English New Year's tradition called 'First Footing' which we take part in every year.

The first foot across the threshold in the New Year must bring several gifts, all of which symbolise good things for the year to come: money (financial security), bread (food for the year), coal (heating and warmth), salt (flavour) and alcohol (good cheer).

It's a lovely symbol and makes us stop and think for a short while about what we allow into our homes - on this first day of the year, and throughout the year to come.

It made me think about what I allow into my heart and my mind too. Do I just accept anything that wanders in, or do I think about my thoughts and only allow those things in which will bring health and wellbeing?

It's easy to get caught up in negative and destructive thought patterns, but the Bible advises,

"I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

[Philippians 4:8 MSG]

These are good things to fill my mind with, both on the first day of this new year and for the rest of the year.

Perhaps I need to give myself a mental 'First-Footing' and decide what thoughts I want to allow into my mind for the year to come.

The New Year And The Old Year

There is a tendency to think that new is better: new technology, new phones, new fashions, new house, new job.

 

'New' suggests hope and potential.  'New' suggests improvements.

 

In the same way, there is a tendency to view the new year as being guaranteed to be better than the old one, simply because it is 'new'.  We can look towards the new year as a sign of hope.  We can find ourselves full of excitement and anticipation for what's to come.

 

But in emphasising the goodness of the 'new', sometimes we can dismiss all of the 'old' as being bad or inferior.  It is easy to throw it all out in one go, without sifting through to find the things of value.

 

Instead, we need to learn to accept the good and the bad in our lives, in others and in ourselves together.

 

David prayed,

 

         "Investigate my life, O God,
         find out everything about me;
         Cross-examine and test me,
         get a clear picture of what I’m about;
         See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
         then guide me on the road to eternal life."

 

         [Psalm 139:23-24 MSG]

 

 

As the old year comes to a close, and we inevitably spend time reflecting on the year past and the year to come, let's acknowledge both the good and the bad and ask God to guide us on the road to eternal life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Time Next Year

I read a really interesting article today: it imagined that it was the end of 2013 and reflected on what had happened over the past year.

 

It made me think about what might happen to me and for me in 2013 and what I'll be thinking or feeling this time next year.

 

So often, we have a tendency to drift through life, without really paying attention to what's happening.  We keep our heads down for the most part and only raise them at significant moments - birthdays, Easter, Christmas, holidays - and when we raise them and look around us, we are astonished at how quickly the time has passed. 

 

Sometimes we can feel as though we haven't really achieved anything or moved forwards in any way.  Time drifts past and we remain unaltered.

 

But if we want to look back this time next year and feel that things have changed - that we have changed - we need to be intentional about it.  We need to look around us and take stock of things and decide what we want to happen in the next year.

 

Obviously not everything is in our control, but often a lot more is in our control than we realise.  Sometimes it is nicer and safer to assume that nothing is in our control - we don't have to feel responsible when things don't go our way.

 

The best thing is to take some time to honestly assess where we are right now and to spend some time thinking and praying through where we hope to be this time next year.  For although we can plan where we'd like to be, God's plans are not always the same as ours.

 

        "'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the Lord.

        'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

        For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

        so my ways are higher than your ways

        and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"

 

        [Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT]

 

 

No matter what we can plan or imagine for the year to come, God's plans will always surpass ours.  His plans are bigger than ours.  Unimaginable.