New Year, New You...Literally!

 The Christmas tree has been taken down, and the lights and decorations have been put away. The festivities of the holiday season, the parties, the gifts, the food, the fellowship, are all over, and it is time to head back into reality. The world of work, school, responsibility, etc. Sometimes, when the wondrous joy that the holiday season brings comes to an end, it seems that I allow a glum, melancholy attitude take over my character. I feel as if I am trapped in a state of eternal sorrow, only to find that the only thing that makes it fade away is the approach of the next holiday season. The sad part about this is that the only thing that is trapping me in this state of mind is myself, but this year, things are going to be different. 

The year 2013 is one to put in the books. 2013, the year that I turned 18 and became a legal adult (although, that really made no difference to me). The year that I committed to attend Spring Arbor University and committed to run Cross Country and Track for the school. The year that I graduated from Bedford High School (finally!) The year that I left home for the first time in my entire life to move into my dorm at SAU and finally learned what it felt like to truly grow up (that's when I truly felt like a legal adult!) The year that I made friends that I can truly say I cannot imagine my life without them now. The year that I finally broke 21 minutes in a 5k race (20:43!) The year that I have experienced God to a brand new level and capacity that truly surpasses my understanding. And most importantly, the year that I have felt my hunger and knowledge for Christ grow so substantially, that I have learned more about myself and God in this past year than I have in the past 17 years put together. 

As I reflect upon this past year, I can't help but think about the resolutions I have for the new year. It seems as if the typical number one resolution for each new year is to get healthy and exercise more often, but here is my question... Why is it that we are always so concerned with bettering our physical selves, yet we allow our spiritual selves to slip through our fingers? I have to ask myself this question, because I fall victim to it every single year. As the previous year comes to a close, and the new year enters, the holiday happenings are over, and I turn my attention to,  "How can I eat healthier? How can I exercise more?" Yet my spiritual self is drowning in my attitude of sorrow.   Maybe, just like myself, you get caught in the end of the year crummies. Maybe you are experiencing a time in your life where your spiritual self is dying, yet you are avoiding the problem. Maybe you are longing for something more in this life. Maybe your physical self is doing wonderfully, but your spiritual self is suffering, and you are yearning for the chance to become a "New You." Well, I have great news for you... that is absolutely possible!

As I was doing my devotionals today, I came across the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." I find incredible hope in the words of this verse, and I find it incredibly appropriate for the ringing in of a new year. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a living sacrifice. God became fully human so that He could truly experience suffering and pain, so that He can connect with us, His children, in our times of pain and suffering. Whatever you are experiencing spiritually at the closing of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, fear, inadequacy, complacency, depression, sorrow, tragedy, anger, addiction, etc. I am here to tell you that Jesus Christ gave His life for YOU so that YOU can be made NEW! Our spiritual selves do not have to suffer. If we identify ourselves through Christ, and trust in the sacrifice that He has made for each and every one of us, we are given the opportunity to be made new. Of course we will stumble along the way, and some days will be better than others, and of course we all have a past. Maybe 2013 was a year of many mistakes. A year of apathy to what truly matters, but Christ has forgiven us! The old things have passed away! and if you are willing to accept the gracious gift of being made new that Christ offers each and every one of us, then YOU, my friend, are going to have a prosperous, rich, growth-filled 2014! I'm done trapping myself in the post-holiday frown fest, and I am prepared to welcome in 2014 with excitement and determination to continue nourishing my spiritual self. May you all graciously accept the gift of grace and forgiveness that God has given you out of pure love, and may you be consciously aware of the nourishment your spiritual soul needs during the year of 2014. God bless your new year, and the "New You!" Let's make it a great 2014, my friends!