Two thousand, nine years and three hundred sixty five days. It’s barely a few hours before we stepped into another year.

How does it feel like to stand between the fleeting old year and the booming new one? Are you thrilled? Anxious? Uneasy? I can’t imagine that this year will be over simply because I want to do some more things before moving to a clean leaf.

Throughout the year, I believe that everyone has his or her own share of sweet success, spicy challenges, sour failures and half-baked goals. We are entering into the new year with these things in our minds. How do we handle these stuff as we set foot on year 2010?

The LORD our God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the ultimate source of blessings and favor. We are to thank the God, from our hearts, for granting us sweet success. Be thankful also for the provisions and supportive people. Affirm the people who had been instrumental to our success.

As for the spicy challenges, let us continue to yield to God and ask Him to give us strength and wisdom to overcome it. In some hurdles we need a lot of strength; in other trials, an ounce of wisdom is enough.

But what about the sour failures? Well, let me congratulate you. Welcome to the real world! It’s part of life. We do experience it once in a while but we should not permit failure to dwell in us. We are to define failure and not allow failure to define us.

If you have felt disappointed and discouraged, it means that you are human. You’re not a piece of machine that knows no pain and sorrow. Ask those people who are much older than us if they have experienced discouragements and disappointments after failing on something. Everyone does.

What we need to do is learn how to put the sour failures in the proper perspective, to take time to pray, and to think it over. Does God want you to use it as stepping stones for success? Or, is God telling you to leave it all behind—along with other things—and move on because He has something better in store for you? Assess it. Learn to view it in God’s eyes and discern how God would like us to deal with it (Eph. 5:15-17).

Now, we’re on the half-baked goals subject. There are some things which we need to continue doing on the next year until they are completed. Maybe, we need to restructure or refine our plans; or, we can make our plans a bit simpler. Probably, we need to be more specific or concrete on certain areas.

For those of us who are having a tough time, hang in there! The bible says that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Ro. 5:3-4). We are now beginning to understand what perseverance really means. Second, our character is being molded for the better. Third, hope will birth out from a well-chiseled character. God’s grace is sufficient for us. To others who are enjoying in finishing tasks, carry on.  Share your wealth of wisdom to others that they, too, may be more effective on completing their assignments and that they may experience joy welling up from within them.

As we face this new year, year 2010, may we learn to begin with God, the Creator of all things. Let us thank Him for the things that had made us wiser and stronger. We are to acknowledge Him to direct us and to secure our future. He alone can give us the grace to face life with faith. He can work wonders for us, according to His purposes. He will supply us with wisdom and strength so we can heed his leadings.

As for me, I am positive about the future because my life is in the Lord. And as long as I remain in the Lord and let His word remain in me (Jn. 15:1-8), year 2010 will be another year of fruitfulness, exceeding joy, and a whole new level of character development.

Do you mind turning over a new leaf for me?

Text References:

(Isaiah 43:16-21; 1 Thessalonians. 5:16-18; Ephesians 5:15-17; Romans 5:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Colossians. 3:3; Matthew 27:45-56; John 19:28-30; John 15)