Happy 2012!
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen!
When I was little my favorite holiday was Kudus Yohannse. This day came with many special treats for my little kid heart. Growing up, my siblings and I got new clothes once a year on Kudus Yohannse. On this day, I also got to celebrate my birthday along with my cousin. Of course, food is everyone's favorite part of the holiday. We would always have two chicken or a small goat. However, my favorite part of this holiday is its traditions. Yohannese is the only time children are allowed and encouraged to play with fire. We would collect brunches and tie them in the shape of a broom. We would then, light them up and run around in a circle holding our burning brooms on the air singing "Hoyo hoyo." Whenever we encounter an adult we would put it down and let them jump over the broom. To this day, I don't know why we do this, but I enjoyed the activity. I have to say, the absolute best part of the holiday for me was going to the village. My family, my mom’s siblings, and their children we would all meet in the village where my grandma lived, so we can spend the holiday together. The church in our village is Kudus Yohannse. As you probably gathered by now, Yohannse is my favorite holiday of all.
When I was younger, I didn’t pay attention to the fact that Yohannse is a celebration of a new year. For us Tewahedo believers who follow the geez calendar, it’s the celebration of the year 2012. Unlike, the western countries, we don’t celebrate the new year by throwing big parties, kissing random strangers at midnight, or going out to see fireworks. For us, a new year means gratitude. We are to be grateful for the past year and the year to come. We take time to appreciate the past year because we know many didn’t make it and the chance we are given to do better. Today, we should reflect on our spiritual life. How did we do this past year? What were our strengths? What were our weaknesses? Did we live God’s will for our lives? Did we give 10% of our salary? Did we follow the ten commandments? Did we take the holy communion? The list goes on. If you didn’t do any of the above, then you are lucky because God has given you another year to get it right, to be a Christ-follower that is worthy of Him. Sometimes, we forget or we take it for granted that we are so blessed to be Tewahedo. We were put on the right path from birth, all we have to do is stay on the path and follow Christs’ footsteps.
Use this new year to your advantage. For all, you know it could be your last. Stop waiting to take the holy communion. Start giving 10% of your check. Make time to pray, and/or go to church. Show up for people who need you. Live your best Tewahedo life now!
Reading people's goals inspires me, so today I will share my goals with you. This new year I plan to make the best of this coming year by:
- Practicing gratitude on the daily, I plan to accomplish this by writing at least 10 things I am grateful every night.
- Working on saving and budgeting my money. Every time I receive my paycheck I will divide it to different amounts to see where I am spending my money and redirect where I spend it in the future.
- Paying my school debt. I will raise the amount I pay monthly
- Donating to nonprofit organizations I care about
- Give my due of the 10% to my church
- Accomplishing previous goals:
- Finish draft of the book by Dec
- Apply to schools by Jan
- Grow website
- Plan marriage
The purpose of making all these goals is to help me use the time God has provided me productively. I am starting goal number one right now. I am grateful to God for giving me another year to do better and to live my life according to His will. At the end of the day, I know that God’s dream for my life is bigger and better than my dream for my life. My purpose in this life is to glorify Him by living the life He planned for me and by being holy like Him.
Glory to God
Beiza
