New Year – New You?

Family traditions are a GOOD thing. One Simon family tradition is the taking of communion before the meal of Thanksgiving or Christmas or just-about-any-holiday. We take time to remember the broken body and precious blood of our Savior. For New Year’s, we take it up a notch – sparkling grape juice and blessing one another as we anticipate God’s blessing.

Patti, Rozy, Kimberlyn and I will stay awake long enough to watch the Times Square ball drop as 2013 dawns in New York. My daughter Rozy is particularly fascinated by the celebration. Someday we might have to visit New York to witness the show, but tonight we will settle for television views. We’ll say “Happy New Year!” to one another, and – bet on it – I WILL kiss my beautiful wife. As a family, we’ll also pray, expecting God to do awesome things in 2013.

Tonight, millions of people will cheer “Happy New Year!” Will you be one of them? Are you expecting something good in the new year?  If so, what choices are you making?

“For us a new year symbolizes new opportunities, new hopes, and new dreams.

And yet, the stroke of the hour simply has marked the dawning of another day. Whether the year really will be new lies within each person. If, when the shouting is over, we fall back into the same old rut of sin and rebellion against God, then nothing has changed. No, years become new only if we make them so.” Howard Hendricks, My Favorite Illustrations

Choices impact our lives. Choices create circumstances and change circumstances. Make sure the choices you make land you with the consequences you want. Like it or not, we get what we sow (Galatians 6:9). It is better to look ahead and prepare for a harvest than to look back and regret the weeds.