Leaving the Old to Walk in the New in 2007

The coming of a New Year stirs up so many thoughts and emotions inside of me. First, I am always amazed at how another year has gone by so quickly. Next, I think about the fact that I am getting older and closer to forty (I wander if I will have all my teeth when I turn forty). Then, I get a little sad because I really don’t want to grow up. Being young was just too much fun.

After I stare in the bathroom mirror for a while and grieve over the extra weight around my mid-section and the extra nose hairs protruding from my nostrils, I begin to get motivated at the thought of a new year.

It is in this moment that the thought of a new year brings great expectation. The 2007 slate is clean and it is a great time to dream. There is a tremendous hope in my soul that some long petitioned prayers will be answered in the New Year. The old has gone and the new is coming. I have not made any mistakes, I have not offended anybody, no one has offended me, I have not gained any weight and my nose hairs have not increased. So far, in regards to 2007, everything has gone right.

Being an idealist and an eternal optimist, there is always the thought that everything will go just as I plan and dream for 2007. However, history and experience has taught me that this is a very deceptive thought. Thank God I married a realist who keeps my head out of the clouds.

I have learned that there are three things you should do as you enter into a new year; evaluate, adjust and goal set. First, you should evaluate and examine the previous year. This is important because you want to learn from your experiences while they are still fresh on your mind. What did you do well? What could you have done better? Did you accomplish your goals? Next, you should make the necessary adjustments so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Lastly, you should set attainable goals for the New Year and celebrate as you accomplish them.

As I am preparing for 2007 there is an extra sense of excitement in my soul. I have not been this inspired about a new year since Cindy and I first took over the pastoral duties of Every Nation Tallahassee.

I am so determined to walk in the new things that God has for me in 2007 that I did something radical. What I am about to tell you is a momentous incident in my life. I actually performed a miracle by throwing away my old work out clothes. Some of my shirts I have worn for the last thirteen years.

Cindy got me some new work out shirts and shorts and was appealing/demanding I throw the old ones away. I asked her if I could conduct a “work out clothes retirement ceremony” by inviting my closest friends and getting my old clothes framed and mounted on the wall for all to smell and appreciate. I did not get an answer so I took that gesture as a firm no.

Throwing away my old clothes and putting on my new ones is an external sign of three things in my life. First, I am leaving the old things of 2006 behind. Second, I am committing to receive the new things that God has for me in 2007. Third, I am dressed and ready for battle.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” One of the wonderful benefits of being in Christ is the fact that we get to experience the new things God has for us.

My prayer for you is that you would leave the old of 2006 behind and receive God’s best for you in 2007.

Happy New Year!