Written by Rev. Dr. John Waters

God’s Gift of a New Year

WRITTEN BY REV. DR. JOHN WATERS

Ringing in a new year often includes customs and traditions that would seem odd at any other time of year. Supposedly, Danish people smash plates on the doorsteps of their friends, families in Ecuador burn scarecrows, and lively folk in South America wear brightly colored underwear to celebrate the start of a new year. On a less exciting note, most of my New Year’s traditions involve watching college football games and eating black-eyed peas.

But why does the start of January cause such celebration? Isn’t the start of March just as exciting? And can’t a person be thrilled with the beginning of any month, say August or June?

I suppose the excitement of a new calendar year stems from its reminder that we can start over. Flipping the calendar page to January presents us twelve unmarked months, filled with potential and possibility. The ability to make a new beginning is a gift from God, and our capacity to make changes purposefully and intentionally is evidence of God’s image within us. Trees drop their leaves, birds fly south, and bears seek to hibernate, but none of them makes such choices with intention. Instead, these actions are seasonal processes embedded into nature.

The Scriptures clearly say, “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 2:17). When we make choices to change, or to start something fresh, our exercise of intention and volition demonstrates that we are image-bearers of God. Trees drop their leaves, but not because they willfully choose to do so. Birds fly south and bears seek shelter, but not as a result of self-examination or self-awareness to improve themselves.

Our propensity toward New Year’s resolutions, which seem to be broken as quickly as they are made, also points to God’s image within us and our desire to change for the better. Unlike any other part of creation, we can make choices to improve our marriages, spend our money frugally, or live with humility and servanthood. And the start of a new year affords us a perfect window of time to reflect on our lives and to adjust them accordingly.

When the Apostle Paul recounted his life, he wisely stated, “I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). A new calendar year gives us the opportunity to forget what is behind us and to press onward to what’s really important.

What are the hurts and heartaches of the last year that you need to forget? None of us has the luxury of going back in time, but by God’s grace we can release the past and refuse to be imprisoned by it. If the landscape of your previous year is dotted with painful moments and bad experiences, God enables you to break free of the past and live in the light of His joy, peace, and grace.

And like the Apostle Paul, are you pressing onward toward things that really matter, particularly in your spiritual life? The white noise of this world clangs and clamors for our attention, causing us to chase pleasures and priorities that ultimately do us no good. Paul’s desire was to pursue the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, he chose to sift through the meaningless clutter of this world to focus on what really matters, whether it was in this life or the next.

What better time is there than at the start of a new year to recalibrate your spiritual life? Celebrate this New Year with hope, unshackled from the pain of the past while leaning forward in passionate pursuit of God’s best plans for you. Like blank pages in a journal, the unwritten months ahead present unexplored moments and uncharted waters, filled with potential and promise. Release the past and pursue God’s best for you. The New Year is God’s gift, so make the most of it.

And if you want to smash a few dishes, burn some scarecrows, or wear brightly colored underwear, then don’t hold back. For me, I think I will stick with college football and black-eyed peas. S