Articles
Goodbye To Another Year
For most of us, last year probably was like ... most other years. There wree undoubtedly disappointments, perhaps deep ones. There were triumphs and joys, too. There were changes. Our kids are a year older, some married or away at school. There were good intentions unfulfilled, and there were unplanned achievements. Someone close to us may have lost his life, and someone else may have lost her faith.
This is the stuff of life, but we tend to begin each year thinking that somehow this year will be different.
The sameness of life from age to age is the basic premise of the book of Ecclesiastes. We will have many similar experiences in 2013 as we had in 2012.
But this doesn’t mean we should be indifferent about or resigned to life’s patterns. Quite the opposite. We can’t afford to become lackadaisical, for then we stop trying to improve. With every new year each of us should ask: Have I grown? Where do I need attention? What has slipped? How can I accomplish more for the Lord?
Granted, this should not be merely an annual process, but we humans seem geared for reminiscing and re-evaluating on big occasions – like new calendar years, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
So is there a persistent character flaw that you know you need to work on? Ask yourself: Why haven’t I been more successful in changing that quality? Do I have the desire to change it? More to the point: Do I see the value in changing? Is there a way to help with accountability, to bring in outside help in dealing with it?
Further, how does your routine of life need to change? Has social media taken over? Is your meditative time non-existent? What kind of structure changes would help you get a handle on priorities? “If we keep on doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep on getting what we’ve always gotten.” Maybe it’s time for serious changes.
