I often think, as each year comes by, that the new year offers us an opportunity to write a new chapter. It's like a book. We finish one chapter; nothing has really changed at the end of the chapter – there's some resolution. But we have to carry on with where we were before. The new chapter offers us, in some ways, the ability to do things a little differently, to take things that were happening in different ways, handle things differently. And all of that happens in the new chapter that 2017 provides for us.
I was just browsing through some stuff and came across this article that Andrew Hill had written in Financial Times quite a few years ago, where he talks about different things that you can do as you start a new year: -
· Learning a new skill or looking for a new challenge. Maybe what you need to do is get acquainted with a new program or study further. Create a bucket list or read a book that you've been wanting to read.
· Adjust your work-life balance to reduce the stress of everything that is going on. Maybe there is not enough time with the family, or you need to find ways to cope with the stress of your job.
· Maybe kick a bad habit – like tardiness, surfing the Internet too much, or negative attitudes to people or situations or circumstances that surround you.
· Give more to good causes – have more concern for the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and so on.
· Pay off your debts – a good thing to do as you start off the New Year. Think seriously about burgeoning credit card bills that need to be paid. Find ways to save some amount of money every month, however small it may be.
· Eat more sensibly – curtail our eating out experiences, eat more at home and sensibly.
· Get in more exercise to stay fit. Put that as something that needs to be done.
But as I thought about all of this, I was thinking that a lot of what we want to do comes from looking around us and saying, "I don't measure up in these ways and maybe this is how I need to do things differently to be able to have a change in my scenario, my encounter with the new year 2017." As I reflected on that, my mind was taken back to an account that Jesus had with some of the religious leaders at that time who brought to Him a woman who had been caught in adultery. They wanted to stone her because that's what the law said. He responded to them by saying, "Whoever is without any sin, go ahead and throw the first stone." It suddenly brought new perspective to them and they realized that they couldn't do it because there was not a single one of them without sin. They slowly slunk away until Jesus looked at this woman cowering in fear, and said to her, "Is there nobody who condemns you?" She said, "Nobody!" He said, "Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more."
This last line came to me this morning as I was thinking of what to share with you – Go and sin no more. An invitation to go on with life but to change it in some way where sin is not a part of it! Carry on with life but make sure that this debilitating aspect of your life is removed. I think the New Year affords us that chance to move on. 2016 has given way to 2017. But to be able to look back and say – What were the things that I did wrong or didn't enhance me or enhance the people around me that I need to change so that I can move on with life and make it a much better 2017 than 2016 was?
It has to do with ourselves. Sometimes we are our own worst critics. Sometimes the voices in our own heads are the worst voices in terms of diminishing us. We hear voices that bring up things that we didn't do well, or losses that happened, or failures that were a part of our life. Each time we try for something new, these voices come up and say – You're never going to make it! You're always going to fail! You're a loser, a failure! You'll never amount to anything. You'll never be as successful as so-and-so. Things like that hold us down and prevent us from being who God intended us to be. God intended for each one of us to be able to leave a mark on this world. That's why we are here, and to be able to find that niche and to be able to do what we can, is what we need to do in the year 2017.
For that to happen, I think we need to have 4 new things to put in.
1. Have a new attitude towards life. We need to be able to choose a new attitude and say, "This is the way I will look at something. I will not respond in this particular way as I have done in the past. I'm going to respond differently.
2. Have a fresh perspective. Put on new lenses. Stop looking at the glass as half-empty, and look at it as half-full. Be more positive.
3. Have greater resolve. Don't give up so easily. Don't check out the moment there is a problem or an issue. Hang in there. Have the resoluteness of a bulldog or a boxer, and never give in.
4. Create a definitive vision for this year. The Bible says: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." That's so true! If you have no vision, then you go through life without any purpose. So, look at your life and say, "In 2017, this is what I aim to do. This is what I'm hoping to achieve." Put it down and say, "These are things I'm going to look back at the end of this year and say that I was able to achieve it."
Then grasp this year. It's an opportunity. It's the journey of our life.
Somebody sent me a post just this morning that I thought was so neat. "Life is like a journey on a train…. with its stations… with changes of routes… and with accidents! We board this train when we are born and our parents are the ones who get our ticket. We believe they will always travel on this train with us. However, at some station our parents will get off the train, leaving us alone on this journey. As time goes by, other passengers will board the train, many of whom will be significant – our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will get off during the journey and leave a permanent vacuum in our lives. Many will go so unnoticed that we won't even know when they vacated their seats and got off the train! This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, good-byes, and farewells. A good journey is helping, loving, having a good relationship with all co-passengers… and making sure that we give our best to make their journey comfortable. The mystery of this fabulous journey is: We do not know at which station we ourselves are going to get off. So, we must live in the best way – adjust, forget, forgive, and offer the best of what we have. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to leave our seat… we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life."
I love the fact that we are all co-passengers. And I want to say, as we start 2017, that it is a beautiful gift that each one of you has given to me as co-passengers in my life. I don't want to miss the opportunity to say: Thank you. Thank you for inputting into me with your presence, your love, your faithfulness, the things that you do, and I am grateful for each one of you. My prayer for you in 2017 is as I said in the beginning, that everything that God wants to do through you will be fulfilled because you are able to see the potential that you have and know that He is the one who will make it happen.
God bless you my friends. Have a wonderful, wonderful 2017.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, pour out Your Spirit on each one who reads this post. Master, may they experience the freshness of Your Spirit in this New Year 2017. May every plan and purpose that You have for each one of us find fulfillment in the days and months ahead of us. May this 2017 be one of our best years yet. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• Andrew Hill, "Seven Corporate Resolutions For An Austere New Year," http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/73ea0c76-d939-11dd-ab5f-000077b07658.html?ft_site=falcon&desktop=true#axzz4Uf7ezPIZ
• Bible reference: John 8:1-11
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