Pages

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The End Is Near

Every year about this time I fall into a pondering mood. I think about the year-- how it's gone, what I've done, what I haven't done, what I wish I'd done... what I wish I hadn't done.  Well, you get the point. It's something about a period of time coming to an end. Blocking our life off into 12 month intervals gives us a wonderful opportunity for regular restarts. We don't get do-overs, but we do get restarts. 

So, as I ponder my life, I think about the resolutions I made at the beginning of the year and how I've done with them. Usually I find myself disappointed. Life has a way of taking over and trumping all our plans. But sometimes there is at least a measure of success. This year I made two resolutions: (1) de-clutter my life, and (2) read through the Bible.  

As I look around the room in which I sit writing this post, I can honestly say I have failed in the first resolution. There are little piles of books and papers and junk on nearly every surface. And, this is my kitchen counter...I figure it's worth a picture to make my point.


As far as the read-through-the-Bible resolution goes, I made it about half way.

So did I fail?

Hardly. In my efforts to accomplish something, I have succeeded in accomplishing something

Even though I didn't completely de-clutter, I have (though it may not look like it to the naked eye) reduced the clutter from what it was before I started. I have thrown out and given away things I don't need, and I have reset my thinking in such a way that I look at "stuff" differently. In my resolution of January 1, 2012, I have started something that will (obviously) take more than a year to complete. But that's okay. De-cluttering is an ongoing project, and I am confident that one day I will look around and be able to say I have accomplished my goal. 

No, I didn't read through the entire Bible in one year. But I started a habit of reading my Bible every morning, something I wasn't doing nearly enough of before my resolution. I can hardly call that failure, now can I? And if I completely read through God's Word every two (or even three) years, how can I not be better off for it? 

Indeed, the end is near...the end of another year. But the exciting part is, so is the beginning--another chance for a restart. That's what I love most about January. As I ponder this past year, I will think about what I can do in my own little space to make the next one better.

I hope you had a blessed 2012.  May God's love and grace shine upon you in 2013.

Happy New Year!



No comments:

Post a Comment