There is nothing just quite like the feeling of opening a new book and taking in a whiff of the fresh new pages that lie blank in front of you or the joy of carefully removing a new toy from its box and setting it down for the very first time in anticipation of the games yet to come or even the sensation of withdrawing a crisp new note from the automated teller machine and tenderly placing it in our wallet for future expenditure.
We as human beings love everything that is brand new and shiny, so it simply should imply that we must try to renew ourselves in every way we can .The need for newness has resulted in our celebration of birthdays and anniversaries on a personal level and in the belief and planning for a new calendar, financial and academic year. As a church as well we look to new beginnings with the season of advent and our new liturgical calendar.
When we start anew we are expected to put away our old selves and to make every effort to be renewed (Ephesians 4:22-24).That is why at the start of a new calendar year some people believe in making resolutions which they promise to try and fulfill and at the start of a new academic year teachers plan for the year ahead keeping in mind a new curriculum and new students as well as new challenges which might come up. As Christians the Bible expects us to go the extra mile and make the extra effort to let go of our old selves and thus we as teachers and parents are expected to forgive and forget the mistakes of the year gone by. We are not meant to dwell on the indiscretions of the past, be it in ourselves or in others.
We are half way through this year and I’m sure most of us have faced challenges and loss and it has made us question many aspects of our lives and our faith. This last year may have filled us all with apprehension and fear of the unknown, be it in school at work or even at home, we may be afraid of what we have never experienced before or simply because we have heard others say that they are afraid, but the Bible tells us that we need not fear because it is Jesus who knows our plans for the future and He has only the very best in store for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
We do not know what the next six months of the year have in store for us but we do know that if we entrust every single work of our hands and every day to Jesus then, even though we may falter or feel tired and disheartened, He will be by our side and give us the courage and the wisdom each day to renew ourselves and give our very best in our studies, at our places of work, to our families and even in church.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
