To some, a new year means a fresh start. But to me, New Year’s Day signifies the end of the Christmas season.
We dismantle all the dazzling Christmas lights and colorful decorations. December beauty disappears; in its’s place we’re left with January’s dismal, drab wintery weather.
Away with the chocolate, the eggnog, the Christmas cookies! Bring out the exercise equipment and diet plans.
We trade the miraculous for the mundane.
Parties are over. Clean-up begins.
Temperatures drop. Electric bills rise.
Guests leave. Flu season arrives.
We may have gained weight.
We may have lost friends—through death, distance, or disagreements.
It’s back to work.
Yeah, I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Day.
This New Year though, I’m stepping back and taking a look at the big picture. Yes, life is hard…bodies age, loved ones move away, and the world seems to be in self-destruct mode.
Yet the One who created the world out of nothing is also the One who promises to re-create it.
Making All Things New
“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ ” (Rev. 21:5 ESV)
Our incomprehensible, incomparable, infinite God, created life on this tiny speck of a planet, and made Himself small so He could walk with us, talk with us, and redeem us. Now our God plans to create a new heaven and a new earth, where we’ll no longer experience pain or sorrow, where we’ll live forever with Him.
We have a glorious future in store for us.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Rom. 8:18 ESV)
Yet I have to admit, when the alarm clock goes off before sunrise,
and dirty dishes seem to be breeding in the sink,
when wars and disasters and atrocities dominate the nightly news…
the joys of heaven seem far off.
While it’s reassuring to know I have a future in heaven, I want relief for today’s headaches and heartaches. I want to see improvement in the here and now.
Renewing Our Inner Selves
So here’s the good news: God’s promises are not just “pie in the sky by and by.”
God, who designed every cell in our bodies with great precision, still involves Himself in every detail of our lives.
Even now, God is working in us to make all things new.
He is creating something beautiful in each of our lives. As we walk closely with Him, we become more beautiful in character. Each difficulty makes us stronger, more Christ-like. Each day presents new opportunities to pursue, new relationships to develop, and new reasons to praise Him.
We just have to open our hearts a bit and let in the fresh air of His Spirit.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18 ESV)
Maybe you’re like me. When the weather–and the world—outside becomes menacing, the tendency is to close the doors and wrap ourselves in a cozy blanket of familiarity. But what if we opened the window just a crack and allowed the Holy Spirit to come in like a breath of fresh air. What if we opened our hearts to explore new opportunities, new relationships, and new ways to grow.
It’s worth the effort.
When all the presents have been unwrapped and put away, one gift remains: God with us. In the darkest of winter, in the dreariest of days, God is still working to renew, restore, refine, and re-create us. He continues to bring beauty to our lives on earth as He prepares us for the glory to come.
Even in a season of endings and losses, God is up to something new.
Photo credits: Ian Schneider, Mourad Saadi on Unsplash
One reply on “A New Year”
Wow! The God who is creating us is able to “recreate” and renew us, even while we are on earth. Thank you for this beautiful encouragement!