Newness

Out with the old, in with the new. It’s that time of year when we tend to reflect on what our lives would look like if we took that phrase seriously. For some, it’s a fleeting thought. For others, it sparks some real efforts at change.

Either way, it’s never easy to let go of what has become normal and comfortable, and accept something new and different. That is, unless it’s a whole new set of pots and pans.

Santa brought me a set of new “green” cookware this Christmas. Apparently, my tried-and-true oatmeal saucepan that I’ve been using every morning for years could be killing me, so it was time for something new. I have to say, they are amazing. Sometimes you don’t realize how old and worn something is until you see what newness can bring.

With the new year comes an opportunity to bring newness into the old, worn places of our lives, in particular, our spiritual lives.

Where do we need to ditch the old ways of thinking and believing and embrace a new way?
Where has forward movement ceased and we have settled into patterns that we have used for years that could be killing us, spiritually?

We’ve been given another chance.

A new year is like a newborn. It’s full of promise and hope. In her book, The Stillness of Winter – Sacred Blessings of the Season, Barbara Mahany likens each new year to the birth of a newborn baby. It is both miracle and blessing.

            Both miracle and blessing, each new year demands my full and unwavering attention. Demands the full attention of all of us standing here on the cusp, filling our hearts and our imaginations with promises, vows, hopes, resolutions of the deepest kind.

            I will study you, be in awe of your sudden appearance, your entrance, your being here. There was no guarantee you and I would meet, and therein is the miracle, the often-taken-for-granted miracle. Yet, unmistakably, a miracle. In every way.

We have been given the miracle and the blessing of a new year. A future full of promise and hope.

A fresh start is knocking at the door.  What does it look like for you? Who does it look like to you?

Joan

The one who sat on the throne said,
“Behold I make all things new.”
                                        Rev. 21:5