New Year’s Eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. —Hamilton Wright Mabie
Okay, we’re almost done. Next week the holidays are officially over and we get back to life as usual. But first, it’s time to flip the calendar—and for some reason, we make a pretty big deal out of that. When you think about it, there’s really nothing special about New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. If you were to look down from the heavens, you wouldn’t notice anything special at all—just one more twist of the globe. But at the same time, it is a special day, isn’t it? It always has been. It’s always been a night which calls us to reflect and pray.
REFLECT. Another year has passed. One of these years, it will be your last. It’s not a matter of IF, only WHEN. No sense putting anything off until later. Pour an extra mug of your favorite drink and watch the fire burn down. Take inventory of who you are in Christ. The time to let Christ live through you is NOW.
PRAY. The best prayer I can offer you is the one Paul prayed for one of his church plants:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. (Colossians 1:9)
Amen.
Happy New Year. See you next year!