A New Start

It's recently occurred to me, there's nothing singularly special about a New Year. We replace our calendars. Have to start remembering to date our checks with a thirteen instead of a twelve (and if you're anything like me, you only got used to writing that number some time in October). But when it comes down to it, all the problems we had in 2012 will still be there in 2013. The bills that were stacked up on December 31 will be stacked up on January 1, and the people who sent them will still expect to be paid. No... there's nothing really significant about the date itself.

So, why is it such a big deal?

I think it must be that it represents new beginnings. A chance to start something new. Or to be renewed. Our hearts and souls long for growth, but the mind craves order. So, a new year, a new start. Day one.

So what are you doing with your new start?

At the end of each year, I look back on my life and ask: what did I do for God? Did I accomplish all He had for me to do? Did I reach somebody for Him? Did I touch a life? Could I have done more? The answers for these questions are often uncomfortable. I didn't accomplish everything. I could have done more. What, actually, did I do for God, anyway?

So, for me, a new year is about renewed commitment. It's about saying, "God, I'm sorry that, in 2012, I wasn't all You wanted me to be," and asking for His help, in 2013, to reach others in His name. It's about understanding that, eventually, I'll be out of New Years, and all I'll have to offer Him is what I did with the time I had.

So with this new year, I recommit my life to the service of the God who saved me. So that, when all is said and done, when I've come to the end of my years, new and otherwise, I can say with Paul,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)