What is Your New Year’s Resolution?

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God Amen.

What is Your New Year’s Resolution?

Many of us probably had some plans to go out with our friends or spend some time with our families. New Year’s Eve is just one of the many other holidays the western culture celebrates every year. Should we celebrate the new year the same way we celebrate our birthdays or any other kinds of parties? Every holiday has its own purpose and meaning behind it. For instance, when we celebrate our friend’s birthday, we celebrate the fact that another year has been added to their life and we commemorate the day he/she was born. When we celebrate Christmas, we honor the birth of Christ. Likewise, when we celebrate Easter we honor the resurrection of Christ. Thus, any kind of holiday we celebrate serves its own purpose. Going back to the new year, people celebrate the fact that the year has come to an end and that we are approaching a brand-new year. Now what? It’s a new year, are we going to live our next day the exact same way we did before? A new year does not change our house, our car, our school, our bodies. We simply wake up the next day just like any other ordinary day.

As we approach this new year, we should reflect upon our past and realize all the things we've done and encountered. We should ask ourselves whether we’ve accomplished our previous goals and examine the challenges that prevented us from achieving our goals from the past. A new year is not about celebration and enjoyment. Rather it is a day we reflect, review and reconsider our past so that we can map out our upcoming new months of 2019. Many of us probably have a new year resolution to save up and buy a new car, make more money, or get better grades in school. These are all great plans. However, as followers of Christ, what should we really consider for this new year? We tend to only think of how to fulfill our earthly desires not realizing that they're temporary. Buying a car that might just break-down in a few months or making more money than ever and spending it on items of no value are all things we do to please our physical lives. We put a lot of effort into satisfying our flesh while leaving our spirits in thirst. As St. Paul mentions in 1 Timothy 4:8, “…bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” It is important to understand that having earthly plans for the year of 2019 will always be short-term and will never be eternal. Therefore, knowing that our spirits are everlasting, why not put effort into feeding our spirits and allow it to grow more with God? Look back on how your spiritual health was in 2018. Did you use this past year to build your relationship with God? How so? Our relationship with God determines how we’ve exercised our spirits in the previous year of 2018.

In all reality, every day is a start to a new year, perhaps that is even why we celebrate birthdays throughout the entire ‘year’. We tend to put emphasis on new years’ eve or new years’ day because it indicates a specific time frame of the 12 months we follow on the Gregorian calendar. Within this new timeframe of 2019, our new year’s resolution should be to walk on the path of Christ and not to conform to our flesh. If we haven’t been going to Church so often, we should use this year to attend Church service more often. If we haven’t fasted, we should use this year to fast more. If we haven’t prayed, we should use this year to pray more. If we haven’t confessed, we should use this year to confess our sins. If we haven’t partaken in the Holy Communion, we should use this year to partake in Holy Communion more often. If we have any grudges against our friends, we should use this year to let go of these grudges. The year of 2019 should merely be focused on how we can please God.

We’ve all perhaps heard of the saying “time is gold.” Time is indeed a concept that we humans take for granted when it comes to our spirits. Procrastination is at its best when it comes to following God, whether it's during fasting season, or even when we try to wake up on a Sunday morning to go to Church. As Pope Shenouda said, “Know that the explanation of the phrase, ‘I have no time’ is perhaps, ‘I care not about’, since for the matters which are important to you, you will find the time”. We should examine whether or not we made God a priority in 2018. If we say that we love God by our mouths and not make any time for Him to fulfill His words, then do we actually love Him? Considering the fact that time is precious, we should truly make time for building a stronger relationship with God. Some of us have probably procrastinated on studying for a test or an exam but ended up getting a good grade on it. However, when it comes to our spirituality, we cannot get away with starving our spirits. Therefore, using the time that God has granted us is the most important and beneficial thing we can ever do for ourselves. We have a merciful God who gives us each day to return back to him, but we use every new year to pull back from Him instead. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, St. Paul said, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Each year, month, week, day and even a second God gives us a chance to return back to Him and be saved. This new year is truly the time to prepare ourselves for God’s salvation.

Overall, our new year’s resolution should be to turn our direction towards the path of God. If you think about it, many of us are now in our 20’s, 30’s, or younger or older. God has already brought us this far in life, why not take this opportunity to live under His words? Again, let’s not take time or more importantly God’s mercy for granted. Rather, let’s use this new year as another huge blessing, God has granted us another day to work towards fulfilling the needs of our spirits.

May God bless this year with love and peace. May He allow us to use this year to follow Him and fulfill His words more than ever before.

 

Glory to God.

Yanet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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