A new thing
One Saturday before Christmas my daughter and I were shopping for Christmas
presents in the toy section of a large department store. The toy section sits adjacent to
the baby section. I couldn’t help looking longingly at the baby clothes; those cute little
dresses and Babygro’s stirred a stream of warmth inside me. We are expecting our first
grandchild this year, a baby girl. I admit to feelings of excitement mixed with feelings of
anxiety. What does being a grand-parent entail, what should I/shouldn’t I do? Am I
really this old? Well meaning people have given me lots of valuable advice but it hasn’t
appeased the feelings of apprehension that still reside within. I know my daughter is
having those feelings too.
As I stood in the queue to pay I watched parents - to - be inspecting prams, buggies, cots
and all manner of baby paraphernalia that was not even thought of in my parenting
days. They all had the same air of eagerness, an expectation of something exciting to
come.
A New Year is like that, an eager expectation of something new, a fresh start. Plans are
made, holidays booked, moving to new pastures considered or made reality. New Years
resolutions are pondered. We want this year to better than the last. As we reflect on the
year that has passed, we look to the future and we hope the New Year brings forth a new
chapter in our lives.
For some people though a New Year just rubs more salt into an already painful wound.
“I’m not really looking forward to next year, it will just be more of the same; pain,
constant uncertainty, waiting for the treatment to work or not work. I don’t know what
the future looks like, but I know I’m scared of it.” So said a patient who came to her
appointment at the end of the year. She was talking not just about her own feelings but
also those of her husband. Both faced a New Year filled with anxiety and dread. It was
hard for them to find anything good to look forward to.
Yet Time never stands still, it is constantly advancing. The New Year comes whether it is
eagerly anticipated or filled with uncertainty. I am going to get old whether I become a
grand-parent or not. Each New Year brings a mixture of hopefulness and
disappointment, excitement and turmoil, new birth and loss. This is the reality of life.
We can’t always change our circumstances but with the Lord’s help, we can change
ourselves. We can ask ourselves questions such as, why does that always rattle me? Why
do I always respond in this way when that happens? We’ve probably learnt patterns of
behaviour since early childhood and as we are creatures of habit this has just become
our ‘normal’ way of reacting in any situation. Just as a photographer will change his
position in order to get the best viewpoint of the subject so we too can look deep within
ourselves and see if change on the inside will give a better perspective on the outside.
This is perhaps the greatest test anyone can face. We fall into mindsets which take great
courage to challenge. But the Lord said he would never abandon us and that he would
do a new work in us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold,
the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
God loves us too much to let us stay as we are:
“See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:19-21 NIV)
Are you willing to let the Lord do a new thing in you this year?
presents in the toy section of a large department store. The toy section sits adjacent to
the baby section. I couldn’t help looking longingly at the baby clothes; those cute little
dresses and Babygro’s stirred a stream of warmth inside me. We are expecting our first
grandchild this year, a baby girl. I admit to feelings of excitement mixed with feelings of
anxiety. What does being a grand-parent entail, what should I/shouldn’t I do? Am I
really this old? Well meaning people have given me lots of valuable advice but it hasn’t
appeased the feelings of apprehension that still reside within. I know my daughter is
having those feelings too.
As I stood in the queue to pay I watched parents - to - be inspecting prams, buggies, cots
and all manner of baby paraphernalia that was not even thought of in my parenting
days. They all had the same air of eagerness, an expectation of something exciting to
come.
A New Year is like that, an eager expectation of something new, a fresh start. Plans are
made, holidays booked, moving to new pastures considered or made reality. New Years
resolutions are pondered. We want this year to better than the last. As we reflect on the
year that has passed, we look to the future and we hope the New Year brings forth a new
chapter in our lives.
For some people though a New Year just rubs more salt into an already painful wound.
“I’m not really looking forward to next year, it will just be more of the same; pain,
constant uncertainty, waiting for the treatment to work or not work. I don’t know what
the future looks like, but I know I’m scared of it.” So said a patient who came to her
appointment at the end of the year. She was talking not just about her own feelings but
also those of her husband. Both faced a New Year filled with anxiety and dread. It was
hard for them to find anything good to look forward to.
Yet Time never stands still, it is constantly advancing. The New Year comes whether it is
eagerly anticipated or filled with uncertainty. I am going to get old whether I become a
grand-parent or not. Each New Year brings a mixture of hopefulness and
disappointment, excitement and turmoil, new birth and loss. This is the reality of life.
We can’t always change our circumstances but with the Lord’s help, we can change
ourselves. We can ask ourselves questions such as, why does that always rattle me? Why
do I always respond in this way when that happens? We’ve probably learnt patterns of
behaviour since early childhood and as we are creatures of habit this has just become
our ‘normal’ way of reacting in any situation. Just as a photographer will change his
position in order to get the best viewpoint of the subject so we too can look deep within
ourselves and see if change on the inside will give a better perspective on the outside.
This is perhaps the greatest test anyone can face. We fall into mindsets which take great
courage to challenge. But the Lord said he would never abandon us and that he would
do a new work in us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold,
the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
God loves us too much to let us stay as we are:
“See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:19-21 NIV)
Are you willing to let the Lord do a new thing in you this year?
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