Consider How You Ring in the New Year
It is hard for me to imagine, but this year, which seems like it just started, has come to an end. Did you stay up late to celebrate and have a happy new year?
The practice of staying up late to greet the New Year has always seemed like a strange practice to me.
However, as a teen, any excuse to delay my normal bedtime schedule was a good one, so I willing joined in on the festivities, even though I was a bit perplexed by the whole idea of staying up late to do a 60-second countdown.
As I grew older, I became less of a conformist and more pragmatic.
Ringing in the New Year is also a time when New Year’s resolutions are traditionally made. I’ve never figured that out either. If you want to change something in your life, just do it—don’t wait for the year on the calendar to increment.
In fact, by delaying needed changes, the result is merely allowing that particular bad habit or situation to become more ingrained, thereby making it harder to change.
So, I guess I am a bit of a curmudgeon regarding late-night celebrations and timing the pursuit of needed change. Even so, don’t let my killjoy attitude detract from the party you attended last night or the resolutions you made.
I say with all sincerity, “Happy New Year!”
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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