Oh, the New Year... everyone seems to be so obsessed with the idea of a "new year, new me." It sounds so good, so refreshing, right? New year, new opportunities, new changes, new everything. Every year, people focus on things they want to do differently. It's a good idea, in theory. However, it's a pretty ridiculous concept overall.
Why?
Because we aren't perfect. No matter how many times I swear off junk food, those delicious McNuggets are always going to find their way into my stomach. No matter how many times I tell myself I am going to work out every day of the year, there are days when I'm going to be too busy to go. I'm going to fail, I'm going to mess up. It's inevitably going to happen. It actually already has happened. Oops.
In our spiritual lives, I think we get the same attitudes of "new year, new me". This year, I'll read the whole Bible. This year, I'll do better about praying. This year, I'll stop that sin I keep struggling with. And then, before we're even a week into the year, we've messed up. Because we're human. Sometimes I think we just assume that since we've messed up, we're done for. We lost our chance. We get frustrated and fed up. Better luck next year, pal.
God says otherwise.
Instead of a "new year, new me", attitude, what if we focused on a "new day, new me" attitude? I think we can notice three things about this attitude.
Firstly, it truly is a "new day, new me" kind of thing. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Every morning, we start fresh with God. Every morning, he wipes our slate clean. We get another chance at change. Each new day is a chance to become a better person, and live out our lives in a better mirrored image of Christ.
Second, we aren't perfect. We're going to have our days where being a Christian is hard. We're going to sin and we're not always going to make the best decisions. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". There is not a person alive who can honestly say they have never done anything wrong. Every person you see in church, on the street, in school... they're sinners just like you. They make mistakes, they mess up.
Lastly, God forgives. He doesn't keep a running record of your sins. Once you are saved and you turn your life to God, you have the ability to begin anew every single day. If that's not a glorious thought, I don't know what is. Isaiah 43:25 says, "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." God doesn't pull up old sins. He doesn't message you angrily when you stumble, like, "hey remember that bad word you yelled as that guy cut you off in rush hour at 6:32 last Thursday?" It's amazing to think that he's willing to forgive and let us start again each day.
So, in summary, resolutions are good. Change is great. But don't expect perfection. You'll likely be disappointed. New day, new me. Thanks, God.
