“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!””
Revelation 21:5a (NIV)
We are once again at the start of a new year. We have 354 or so days ahead of us in the coming calendar year. What will we do with these days we have been given?
This is a time of year when many of us make resolutions or plans for how we will spend the coming year or habits we will let go of or begin in the days ahead.
What plans or goals do you have in mind?
Resolutions often focus on physical fitness, health, personal or financial goals. What about our spiritual lives? They are important and need care and attention, too! The new year can be a time to start over or begin something new in our spiritual lives.
This is a great time to get back to church if it has been awhile or a great time to give church a try if you have never been before. There are dozens of churches in our community who would be glad to welcome you.
This is an opportune time to join in reading the Bible in a year or to start a new devotional. With technology today, all you need is your phone to get started.
This is also a great time to plan to spend more time disconnected from technology and to instead reconnect with loved ones or spend more time with God in silence and solitude.
If you are holding onto anything that is causing you or others harm, this is also a great season to let it go. There is no time like the present to let go of things like bitterness, hatred, resentment, and unforgiveness. Ask God to help you let it go. You will be glad you did.
This start of the new year is full of hope and possibility. It’s like a blank slate or new piece of paper waiting to be written on.
The Lord is the One who makes all things new. Will you entrust your life to Him?
May this year be filled with more joy, love, hope, and peace.
Don’t forget to include time with God in the coming year. God does not forget about you!
Happy New Year!
Rev. Haley Hausman
Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Kewanee
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association
