On the radio, the other day, the announcer was asking listeners to call and : “Tell us about your most memorable Christmas” and there were so many folks calling in with stories. This time of year can be full of meaning and sweet memories. However, there are so many people who hurt so much more at this time. They wish it would pass quickly so they can pack away those memories for another year and move on with their lives. Each year, it seems to me, that there’s more busy-ness and less contemplation. And, when New Year’s Eve rolls around a week later, we are all making a resolution list and checking it twice.
I like that we have a week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. But I like it because I tend to take time to reflect on the year that is coming to a close, wondering if I should have done something differently, or how I could have handled a situation differently, or even whether I used my time (God’s time) wisely. I also look back to previous years; walking through memories, and prior situations. Sometimes they bring a smile to my face; and sometimes, I walk through them in sadness for what once was or what could have been. For me, this is helpful and gives me a “through the telescope” perspective that I may not have had when something was happening.
Gladness and sorrow, sunshine and rain, war and peace, love and hate… so many feelings turn on a dime depending on the circumstance. Caught up in the circumstance we may become determined to plan our way out of the situation. We spend hours planning what we will do, setting goals for ourselves and for our families, re-thinking the plans, or changing our goals for the future that we miss what is right in front of us-the child who is hurting because of a friend; the grandchild who wants us to read to them-now; the neighbor who is all alone and needs to talk; the spouse who would like some uninterrupted companionship without a difference of opinion; the friend who asks us to pray.
As this year is folded up and placed in the memory book, and the new one is opened before me; I would like to be able to look back and see that I did what was important in the eyes of the Lord.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
So, without making a resolution for 2012, I am resolved to look around me and see with “His eyes”. Maybe that will make a difference-in my own perspective if nowhere else!
May the New Year bring blessings,
May it be all you hope it will be.
May you see what you are meant to see,
Know what you are meant to know,
Do what you are meant to do,
And may your life be a beacon,
To light the Way.