Toward a New Me in the New Year
January 10, 2009
Here we are, friends, enjoying the second Sunday of a New Year. What do we really intend to do with the time God has given us? One great American author offers a response. He writes,
Another fresh New Year is here
another year to live;
to banish worry, doubt, and fear
to love and laugh and give!
This bright New Year is given me
to live each day with zest;
to daily grow and try to be
my highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
once more to right some wrongs;
to pray for peace, to plant a tree,
and sing some joyful songs!
If we look closely, we can see that the author provides an appropriate — and even biblical — prescription for you and me. He encourages (1) development of a joyful, positive attitude (Eccl. 8:15), (2) pursuit of a noble purpose (Psa. 119:58-63), and (3) healing of relationships (Rom. 14:19). As you begin 2009 West Broad and friends, how is your heart? Are you maintaining last year’s grudges and negative thought patterns? What about your pursuits? Will they be praised or punished by God? Think finally about the people around you — are you building bridges to them, or erecting walls? The New Year is filled with potential; however, potential is released by action. The question is, will you act, today? —JLNJR (Resource: William Arthur Ward, n.d.).
