A New Beginning

Guns sound off. Fireworks light up the night sky. Explosive "BOOMS" reverberate across the countryside like thunder. People sing. People make promises. Parties of all kinds sprout like weeds. People shout and laugh. People go to church. Families gather for their annual celebrations. Some folk get drunk. Others pray. What's happening?

IT'S NEW YEAR'S EVE! WOO-HOO! But what's the big deal about a new year?

Some pragmatic folk tell me, "It's just another day. Tomorrow the sun will rise as usual, we'll have to go to work, and we need our rest." Others lament, "The troubles we have today will be with us tomorrow. Why get all goofy about changing calendars?" Yet others exclaim, "This gives us a chance to make our lives and situations better. We have a chance to create a new beginning!"

Many who hope for a better year make promises -- resolutions -- about what they'll do differently in the coming weeks. They think of their unhealthy lifestyle or the mistakes they made in the past 12 months and decide to do better in the next 12. They resolve to change.

Many in the Jewish faith believe that on their New Year -- Rosh Hashanah (actually, Yom Teru'ah) -- God judges each individual, and determines what will happen to them in the next twelve months. (That is, admittedly, an over-simplification.) Observant Jews view Rosh Hashanah and the days surrounding it as a time for prayer, performing good deeds, reflecting on past mistakes and making amends with others. I like that.

People in many cultures are looking for an end of bad things happening, and good things to start; and they think making resolutions is the way to bring this about. But what is a resolution?

To "make a resolution" is to be determined; to steadfastly, purposely decide something, then acting on it. But does the person actually change?

When my grandfather was 94 years old, he told me: "Son, resolutions are empty, and most people break them on the day they make them."

Dad once told me, "If you are serious about wanting to change, don't wait until New Year's Day. Start the change now, and ask the Lord to help you. Do you remember my resolution?"

"No, dad; which one?"

"Your mother wouldn't marry me unless I quit smoking. I was smoking over two packs of cigarettes a day, and told her I would quit. My ship went on a three-week cruise, but when I returned I still smelled like a chimney. Your mother asked me what happened, and I told her that I just couldn't quit. She said, 'You better pray about it, and do it right now!' That woke me up! So I got honest with God. I sincerely prayed and two things happened: 1) I seriously asked God to help me quit smoking, and 2) I resolved to quit -- and I haven't touched a cigarette since that prayer 41 years ago."

Friends, THAT is making a resolution. Don't just say you've decided to change -- resolve, or DETERMINE to change. Ask God to help you; then set your will to cooperate with God. When you are tempted to resume your former ways, remind yourself that God is ready to help. Ask the Lord for emotional strength to keep your promise. The key is to be honest with God and with yourself.

Remember what Polonius said in Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3? He said, "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." Shakespeare was right; and that includes being honest with our Heavenly Father.

One friend in New Mexico has "resolved" every year for over twenty years to stop smoking. Every year another friend annually "resolves" to stop drinking alcohol. But they don't stop. Why? They are being dishonest. They are being hypocritical because they don't really want to quit; but they blame God for not helping them.

God did a marvelous thing when He created us in His image. He created us with will-power, and He expects us to use it for His purposes; and we can do whatever He empowers us to do.

Are you making a resolution this year? Don't be hypocritical. Make sure it's in line with God's will, and then ask God for help. If you are honest, God will help you make that change. This year can be a New Beginning for you.

-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author, and former pastor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.