Parents :
The Day I Accepted a New Year
by Alice Crider
I finally saw the turn of the calendar as a chance to make a fresh start.
"Happy new year!" my voice cracked. With only two of my four children
still living at home, our traditional celebration of finger food and movies wasn't
quite as festive as it used to be. Happy? Such an illusive word. New? I hadn't
had anything new in a long time. Year? The idea of 365 more days of struggling
as a single parent stuck in my throat as I put on my best face for my kids.
My teenager threw her arms around my neck. "God will make a way,"
she began to sing. "Where it seems there is no way . . ."
Can You make a way for a happy year? I half-prayed, half-doubted.
"He works in ways we cannot see. . . ." she continued, and I knew
she was right. Still, I wondered how.
It's only a new year, I thought, and we made it through the last one. A new
year. My heart perked up at the word new. God's mercies are new every morning.
He makes all things new. I am a new creation. New. The key word in "happy
new year" is new!
"It's a new year!" I shouted.
My daughters thought I was weird, but I was hopeful. It felt good to let go
of the expectations for happiness and simply hope for new.
I woke up early the next morning, brewed a pot of coffee and wrapped myself
in a blanket on the sofa with my Bible and a notepad. What came next has become
my personal New Year's tradition. Over time, it has helped me work alongside
God to put the pieces of my broken life together into something new and wonderful.
I asked God to fill me with hope for the coming year. I opened my Bible, determined
to immerse myself in His words. As I read about pressing on toward the goal
(Philippians 3:14), throwing off everything that hinders and running with perseverance
(Hebrews 12:1), something began to stir in me.
The previous year had been difficult, but it was behind me now. God had provided
in remarkable ways, and He wasn't likely to run out of resources now.
I decided to make a list of everything I was thankful for, and my heart warmed
as I wrote. Several pages later, I started a list of things I wanted to "press
on toward," things I hoped to do and have. I asked God to show me His vision
for the year ahead, then I wrote what came to mind. As I scribbled, I envisioned
the possibilities. When I finally exhausted my imagination, I closed my notebook
and handed it to God.
The next New Year's Day, I pulled out my notebook and read my lists. To my
delight, many of the things I had recorded had come to pass. I transferred the
rest to my next new year list. And the next year, more dreams had transpired.
Some things on my lists were simple, such as organize my closet, buy new shoes
and plant daisies. Others were more daunting, like finish my degree, publish
my writing and buy a house.
I wasn't always sure how any of it would come about. However, I will graduate
from college this year. My name is in print and daisies dance outside the windows
of my very own house.
It's not a magic formula, but anything is possible when we throw off the hindrances
of the past and press on toward a new future.
As you begin this new year, why not write your own vision? Start by listing
everything you can thank God for, even the small things like sticky little fingers
and clean laundry or heat and electricity. How did God provide for you in the
past year? Make your list as long as you possibly can.
Now think of things you'd like to do or have in the coming year. This is not
a list of resolutions. This is a dream list, a written prayer, a vision of possibilities.
Then ask God for His vision. Write it down and hand it back to Him. Let go of
expectations, but hold on to the hope of new possibilities.
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