T'is the season to be inundated with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season: shopping, wrapping gifts, preparing, planning and attending Christmas gatherings. However, the clock is ticking. Old Father Time's hour glass is almost empty. We are days away from 2016. While commemorating and celebrating the birth of Jesus, we would be remiss if we failed to engage in a time of reflection and introspection: a time to take inventory of the year with heartfelt appreciation for the blessings throughout 2015, and an awareness of our difficulties and losses.
A new year is a time of transition, the promise of a new beginning. It's a time to reconsider where we have been and determine where we desire to be. At the stroke of midnight, some believe they will be translated to a life of mirth and bliss. For them, the old habits, failures, and regrets will vanish with the change of one digit. Others think the magic of a fresh start will begin with making resolutions. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is even though we celebrate the onset of a new year, we often retain the negative mindsets, behavior, and toxic relationships of the past. Somehow we think the old will mysteriously vanish at midnight without seeking Divine intervention and making a personal commitment to believe God for change.
Albeit, in order to ring out the old and ring in the new, it is necessary to:
1. Release the past: "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past . . . "
Isaiah,43;18a, New American Standard
2. Embrace the new by setting realistic and measurable goals.
"Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spiring forth. Will you not be aware of it?"
Isaiah 43:18b New International Version
Confucius stated centuries ago: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which
is the noblest; second by imitation, which is the easiest; and third
by experience, which is the bitterest."
As we approach 2016,, I implore you to reflect on your life, as it has been and how you desire it to be. Your dreams are within your grasp, for with God, all things are possible. Mathew 19:26
A new year is a time of transition, the promise of a new beginning. It's a time to reconsider where we have been and determine where we desire to be. At the stroke of midnight, some believe they will be translated to a life of mirth and bliss. For them, the old habits, failures, and regrets will vanish with the change of one digit. Others think the magic of a fresh start will begin with making resolutions. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is even though we celebrate the onset of a new year, we often retain the negative mindsets, behavior, and toxic relationships of the past. Somehow we think the old will mysteriously vanish at midnight without seeking Divine intervention and making a personal commitment to believe God for change.
Albeit, in order to ring out the old and ring in the new, it is necessary to:
1. Release the past: "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past . . . "
Isaiah,43;18a, New American Standard
2. Embrace the new by setting realistic and measurable goals.
"Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spiring forth. Will you not be aware of it?"
Isaiah 43:18b New International Version
Confucius stated centuries ago: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which
is the noblest; second by imitation, which is the easiest; and third
by experience, which is the bitterest."
As we approach 2016,, I implore you to reflect on your life, as it has been and how you desire it to be. Your dreams are within your grasp, for with God, all things are possible. Mathew 19:26