IT IS 2015; SO WHAT????

If you can stay awake late enough, you will be a witness to an incredible event.  It happens at MIDNIGHT every year as December 31 morphs into January 1.  The countdown begins as the “Ball” drops; we kiss our loved ones (if they are still awake) and hang up a new calendar.   A new year begins; a new chapter in our life; the old is passed, the new has begun and we celebrate.

If you are connected on Face book, you have read post after post declaring how happy some are to say “goodbye” to 2014 and “hello” to 2015.  Many are excited to begin a new page in their life saga others are just anxious to put all of their 2014 bad experiences behind them.  I could take the time to look at their 12/31/2013 updates and I would venture to say that I would find some of the exact posts; the year being the only difference.  So was 2014 better?  Did 2013 stay contained between January and December?  Apparently NOT!!!!  There was no magic, nothing changed and now we are counting down the hours of 2014, once again expecting the magic that didn’t happen in 2014 has just been waiting for 2015.  Sorry to “burst your bubble,” “rain on your parade,” or “drop the ball,” but when you wake up, January 1, 2015, life will be exactly as you left it when you fell asleep on December 31, 2014. 

In regards to the foreign policy of the United States, John Bolton, former UN Ambassador stated, “It was a bad year and it is not going to get any better.”  Although pessimistic, the statement is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.  Unless policies are instituted to affect change, conditions will not improve solely because we passed the 365 day mark.  Your circumstances do not magically change because you put up a new calendar or write a different year on your checks.  You will not wake up with an unquenchable desire to be healthy but if you say NO to certain foods and YES to moving more, change WILL begin.  There will still be “awesome” sales in 2015 inviting you to just “slide” that charge card or debit card but your bank account will be larger if you decide that you have enough stuff.  Your relationship with God will be even weaker unless you set the time aside to get in touch with God through prayer and the Word.   365 more days will pass in your life, the calendar will count down to December 31, 2015 and you will be looking forward to a better year in 2016 UNLESS you institute “life policies” to affect change.

Your problems may be centered around family, a job, substance abuse, money, health and there may be some circumstance that are beyond your control; it may take a little honest soul searching and a long session in front of a mirror but in every situation YOU CAN CHANGE YOU!  Begin by being THANKFUL.  If you cannot find anything in your life for which to be thankful or to praise God, start by thanking that you are still breathing and woke to a New Year. Next, find someone else that you can HELP along life’s road.  Getting your mind off of yourself will give you a new perspective and you may find that your circumstance are not quite so bad.  Finally, find one thing you can CHANGE in YOU!  Perhaps it is saying no to that piece of chocolate, cutting up a charge card, getting up an hour earlier and spending that time in prayer and meditation or maybe it could be as simple as a phone call and saying, “I love you.”  Only God knows what things you will encounter this year on your journey but one thing you can be sure of; December 31, 2015 will come faster than you can imagine and some will be happy to see January 1, 2016 while others will say “It was the best year ever.” 

IT IS 2015, SO WHAT?