"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.."
G. K. Chesterton
Every January 1st, we think of it as a new beginning and fresh start, but than we forget that it's just another day. Sure it's the start to a new year, but that does not mean that everything we did in the year before us will not affect us in the new year. We say it's a new beginning, but in reality it's not the beginning as December 31st is not the end of something. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not important for us to have New Years celebration. I feel God gave us this holiday so that we may take time to reflect and ponder upon all the events and experiences we went through the year before and how we can improve ourselves for the next year. We think back to all the mistakes we made, and that gives us a chance to know what not to do for this year. We think back to all the friends and people we met, and that gives us the chance to really appreciate them. We think back on our family and whatever we may have gone through together the past year, and that gives us the chance to see how much we really took them for granted when some don't even have a family in their lives. We think back on many things, but it can be said that we always think of God (for those who are religious), and that gives us a chance to see how much He has really blessed us throughout the past year and how loving and great He really is. All the happiness, pain, anger, depression, and love moments we had throughout the past year, God was always there with us and never left. He was there when we were at our highest point of happiness and also there when we were in our lowest point of depression/pain. In the beginning of this blog, I showed a quote that said as a new year comes that we don't think of it as a new year/fresh start, but that we think of it as a way for us to have a new soul/better ourselves in God. There were many times throughout the past year that I've neglected God and felt that He wasn't with me, but as I take the time to think back, I realized that whenever I was in times of pain/depression I turned to everyone but Him and that's why I felt He wasn't with me. But God is gracious and patient, so He always gives us an opportunity like New Years to take time and reflect on our past. I know that God has blessed all of us for this new year that is coming up, and that by taking this time to reflect and think back on how we have been living this past year, it will only make us more mature with our relationship with God. For me personally, there were many things I have learned throughout the past year. I learned to depend on God in my times of need instead of depending on man (even though it's still a work in progress), I learned to appreciate my family and friends more and to know how grateful I am to have them in my life, I learned to appreciate the small things in life, the things that not many people notice anymore because society has become so fast pace, and I learned what kind of wife I want to marry. I remember when I was in junior high, people would always tell me that I should pray right now for what type of wife or what I want my wife to be like to God, but than I never really cared about it. I probably did not care too much about it because I have so much anger/pain towards that certain subject, after my birth mom leaving me and my family. I grew up thinking that was just exactly what was going to happen to me as well; that I would find a woman to marry, and everything would be going great, than out of nowhere she would just be gone. So I never took the time to pray about my wife, seeing how I had so much anger inside of me. I'm not saying that I am fully healed from that emotional scar, because I'm not, but I now know that this was the reason for my past woman in my life. It's funny because I think a lot, usually every night while I'm lying in bed trying to sleep, I just think about life. So January 1st really happens every night for me. I realized that this whole time, I was getting into relationships based on what I thought I wanted, not what God knew I needed. So I am trying to just trust God and follow where ever He leads me, in all aspects in my life. So what I'm trying to say through this is, you don't have to do everything on your own, God is here to help and lead you on the right path only if you are willing to accept His help and guidance. I hope that everyone is blessed much more this year than they were the past year, and that your relationship with God becomes more stronger and on a deeper level. Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
