Somehow
the turn of a New Year gives us permission to revamp things, and we jump
full-force into it, trying our hardest to lose the bad and let the good lead.
And
then, because we are real people and not robots, we fail.
The
old habits sneak back in. The old patterns
of thinking resurface, the old annoyances trip us up again, and the old ways return. We find ourselves going back to what we were
doing before the New Year came with its glittery promises of refreshment and
renewal. Why bother trying to change? We sigh in defeat.
I
come to this point every year, sometimes not even much past January. Small changes that seem so easy at the start
of the year quickly become burdens that I can’t possibly carry on my own. I can’t escape who I am, who too
easily falls and slips back into old habits that aren’t always so great for
anyone involved.
This
mentality is self-defeating, but negativity and pessimism are so easy to fall
back on if you’re comfortable there. To
look forward with a smile on your face despite looming obstacles seems so
silly. Why not scowl back at
reality? It mocks optimism in all forms.
But
I’m not there yet.
Here
at the beginning of the year, nothing much can squash that optimism. The fresh New Year is here, and my prayer is
to live the whole year, and each one thereafter, with a changing attitude that
allows me to look at the bright spots first, and maybe even to shine some light
into the dark areas before they pull me into their comfortable cocoons.
Who
better to share my New Year resolution with than Jesus? After all, he is the one who gives us this
amazing renewal in the first place.
Dear
Lord, please help me to change the way that I approach life this year. Help me to see the good parts first. Shine
your light in my life so that it can reflect off of me onto others. Thanks for your amazing gift which brings hope. Amen.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but
endures forever. Psalm 125:1 (NIV)
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