Today, my guess is that your New Year’s resolve is pretty strong. You are determined. You have either made your list of resolutions or told a friend what you would like to accomplish in 2015. This is your year. With the utmost sincerity, and perhaps a little fanfare, you have madethis year know that your 2015 New Year’s Resolutions are to lose weight, pray more, finish your education, find the love of your life, make your bucket list, clean out your junk drawer, pay down your credit cards, read the Bible, get a promotion at work, call your mother more, stop fighting with your sister so much, take better care of yourself, give others the benefit of the doubt, exercise every day, or… well …you get the idea.
With the new year comes new hope. A psychological and emotional clean slate. In reality, there is not much that automatically changes in us when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. But we feel that it does. Somehow the hurts,losses, and disappointments from the previous year diminish and gives way to a Pollyannaish view of the new, yet to be discovered year.
This feeling, this sense of expectancy and excitement, is commonly known as hope. That bubbly, joyful feeling that something incredible is going to happen.
Kids are flooded with hope at Christmas. That magical sense of presents, Santa Claus, and family time fills them with wonder and giddy expectation.
For adults, hope can be a little harder to come by. We understand that those presents under the tree have to be paid for, that our Santa suit is getting tight, and that, sometimes, depending on the dynamics of our relationships, time spent with family can be stressful.
But still we hope.
The new year affords us a chance to believe anew that things might be different. That if we can muster up enough willpower or determination we can change our life, our world, or at least our dress size.
The Holy Bible says that we are never without hope as long as God is in the world. (I Thessalonians 4:13)
I am reading an interesting book right now called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. While I believe strongly that much of our hope and happiness comes from living the covenant life before the Lord Jesus, Ms. Rubin offers some interesting insights to the science behind hope and happiness:
“According to recent research, in the determination of a person’s level of happiness, genetics accounts for about 50 percent of life circumstances such as age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, income, health, occupation and religious affiliation account for another 10 to 20 percent, and the remainder is how a person thinks or acts. In other words, people have an inborn disposition that’s set within a certain range, but they can boost themselves to the top of their happiness range, or push themselves to the bottom of their range by their actions.”
(The Happiness Project is an interesting read, I plan to check out Gretchen Rubin’s blog on this topic at www.happiness-project.com )
For today, on this 2nd day of 2015, let’s talk about hope, New Year’s Resolutions, and the year that’s passed.
What do you hope for? What resolutions have you made? And how can we help you to get there?
Let’s Pray:
Precious Lord Jesus, we know that all hope comes from you. Without your love and kindness in the world, we wouldn’t even know what goodness or joy is. Thank you for enveloping us. Thank you for the many times you have filled us with hope. And thank you for the year that has just passed. For some of us there was the loss of the loved one, for others there were broken relationships and job loss, and for others it was the best year they ever had. Whatever our 2014 was, we thank-you Lord Jesus for your mercy, your kindness, and your willingness to undergird and strengthen us. Help us Lord to give you the first fruits of every day in 2015. To look to you. To listen. To pray. To rely on the messages in your Holy Word. Fill us with your hope today and every day in the coming year. Empower us to be and do all that you desire for us. In your precious name, Amen.