I suppose I can say I am well traveled. Today is my 44th birthday and I have rounded the sun forty-four times today. That makes a journey of almost 2.6 billion miles (give or take). It is also the start of a new year. 2016 was a year of change and tumult for our country and our lives. But I don't think I am going to go political in this post, at least that is not the plan.
I have spent a quiet day so far at home not doing much of anything. Tomorrow is back to work, and the day after that the kids head back to school. The "Holiday" season is over and now the long winter days stretch toward spring. Already the days are starting to get longer as our orbit brings our tilt back toward the sun, but the warmth will lag behind. The coldest days lay ahead. And yet Spring will come, summer will come. The days will lengthen and warmth will return.
2016 saw the death of many in "My generation." Not people born in our generation, but people we looked up to, Heroes, inspirations, and role models. It is a reminder that we are not children and that time passes and things change. Perhaps it hurts because we look back on our childhood and those people as a reminder of when things were easier or simpler. In reality it wasn't, but for many of us time smooths away the pains and we often look to remember that which was pleasant or good more than the pain so that when a reminder of those good times passes it brings home the fact that such things are truly gone and beyond us. Only our memories remain. It is a reminder also that we ourselves are mortal.
2017 lies before us and while there will undoubtedly be more loss we should look to the new year with new eyes. We should look to the new year as a way to grow closer to the Lord and grow more Christlike. Perhaps the chaos and roller coaster that was this past year will inspire us to not simply ride along but instead step out on faith and look again to the Lord and remember that no matter what happens here on Earth that God is in control. He knows the plans he has for you. God loves us. God knows us and wants us to know him.
In this new year I want to be a man who lives to the potential God has. I have not done so and I think that I need to re-affirm that. I am not going to make a resolution for the year. That would be foolish since I do not know what God has planned. What I can do is take each day as the Lord gives and seek him on a daily basis.
2016 was a year of change and upheaval. May 2017 also be a year of change, but let that change be growth. Let the change be growth in our relationship to the Lord. If we focus on that then we will have growth in our relationships to each other and healing of those relationships and healing in our country. May we look again to the Lord and ask for his forgiveness and his blessings. Not on our riches or our country but on our families and our closeness to him. As that heals, everything else will begin to heal as well.
A prayer for the new year:
Lord father in heaven. Father we come to you tonight asking you to restore us to you. Lord We pray that we could remember to look to you, that we would seek You and your will for our lives and that we would have the courage to follow your promptings. Lord that we would have the will and desire to spend time with you in the Word and in Prayer so we can discern your will clearly. Father we ask that as we grow to know you that you would pour out your blessings on our families, our church, our communities and our nation and the world. Father Only in you can we find peace. Not only peace as in no war, but peace of our own hearts. A peace where we can close our eyes at night and sleep without regret. Look at ourselves in the mirror and not see the pain we have caused ourselves and others. Lord we pray that we would see others and ourselves as you see us. With love and with compassion. We ask that you would grant wisdom to those we have elected in positions of responsibility and power. That they would exercise that power with grace and wisdom even for those that do not acknowledge you as Lord. Finally Lord we lift up your name and thank you. We thank you for another year. Lord for the chance to walk another 580 million miles with you. Thank you for sharing the splendor of the universe and your creation with us. Thank you for sending us your son and thank you for giving us the gift of redemption that we can be restored to you.
We come to you in the name of your son Jesus Christ
Amen.
