Happy NEW Year

Happy NEW Year!

It's a New Year All Around the World

I'm always glad when a NEW year rolls around. It means I have survived all the challenges and joys of the previous year. Out with the old and in with the NEW!

New can apply to many things. Consider these examples:

1)   Solomon said, "There's nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). If you just finished a season of Hallmark movies you might tend to agree. Writers know there are basic life themes and what keeps any story going is giving it an unexpected twist. So, don't be a cynic. Just look for some new favorites.

2)   As a care giver, I opened each new day by quoting the promise in Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV): "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." I'm happy to say my personal experience proved this to be true.

Share a Little Kindness

3)   Remember singing What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love? It sounds good,doesn't it? But how many of us put it into practice? Too many people write love off as being mushy and emotional. Not true! Read First Corinthians Chapter 13 for a practical definition. In this new year, let's show love by simply being kind to one another. It's a choice, not a feeling.

Consider these definitions of new: 1) Something that existed before but is now known or discovered for the first time, and 2) something uncontaminated, unspoiled or undecayed. In other words, it's still fresh.

I'm facing the new year with fresh hope as expressed in Psalm 33:22: May Your unfailing love rest upon (me), O Lord, even as (I) put (my) hope in You.

That hope can be yours, too. Best wishes for a happy NEW Year!

Another Year in the Dash

ANOTHER YEAR in the DASH

A New Year Sparkles

I’m living the dash and so are you, but I doubt that you think about it much more than I do. Days come, days go and we basically do whatever needs to be done. But let me tell you of a life well-lived.

At a memorial for a ninety-two-year-old lady known as Pearl, her brother remarked that when we die our date of birth and death are formally listed with a dash in between. I pondered this phrase: What that dash represents is up to us.

Dash  has several meanings, but the first that comes to mind is a short race. Time is just a small part of eternity; life on earth varies for all of us.

Pearl’s race was longer than some, but she ran it with faith all the way. Pearl means a pure heart. Onscreen a scripture was shared that described her: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (from The Beatitudes, Matthew 5).

Living the Dash

Pearl’s dash included plenty of challenges. She was left alone as a newlywed when her husband was called to the military. He not only served but was a POW for several years.

Later, as a minister’s wife she faced challenges in moving to churches of various-sized congregations in several states. She was an active wife, mother and ministry helpmate.

Dash  can also mean a little something added. We who knew her would call that her sense of humor. Pearl could always be counted on for a joke or humorous anecdote. It was part of her zest for living.

I have mentioned some positive dashes, but there is also a negative one.

Have you ever had someone dash your hopes or enthusiasm? Not Pearl! She made it a point to keep her dashes on the positive side.

You could hear her “amen” loud and clear during the Sunday sermon. Even her handshake was encouraging as she gave you a firm grip, looked you in the eye and gave a welcoming smile.

Pearl was not a game player in relationships. She lived her life true to her own self, loving God with all her heart and shaping her decisions around His Word.

Having observed her way of dealing with physical challenges in her last few years, I must say that when I think Pearl, I think positive.

Now it's another year in MY dash. People are greeting one another with three little words: Happy New Year!

New Year -- New Options

New! Such a hopeful word. It suggests a fresh start, a chance to avoid making the same old mistakes. 

I’ve written down my resolutions many times, but not this year.

I have learned to approach the challenges of each new day with this affirmation: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning . . . therefore, I will hope in Him (Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT).

Happy NEW Year . . . another year in the dash. What is your approach to it?