New Year, Same Purpose!

With this new year comes the question "what are your goals for the year?" and the memes about this year being just as bad as the last couple of years. I got to say that I have gotten a kick out of the memes people have made about 2022, including the one about 2022 being pronounced '2020 too'.

Although these types of jokes are funny, it saddens me to know that many people see 2022 as just another year to expect the worst, expect division in our nation, expect more regulations and more sickness, and expect to continue living life in anything but normal fashion. As discouraging as it is to see the state of the world, it does not change anything about our purpose on this Earth. Our purpose is to be the salt and light of the world.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

Matthew 5:14

In the Christmas season, many speak of the love, joy, hope, and peace you have because of the gift of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem many years ago. This truth does not change because you are in a new year or because you are past the season of Christmas. This truth lives on to give us a daily reminder of the love God has for you, the joy of Christ's birth, the hope of eternity with Christ in heaven because He came to conquer death, and the peace that comes with Christ in your heart.

The Christmas season is filled with so many parties, gifts, and traditions that it can be easy to not carry the truths of the Christmas season into the next year. People get distracted by all the festivities and the New Year coming up. Once Christmas is over they are on to planning the next thing, New Year's Eve parties and New Year's resolutions. This is why, when Christmas day is over, decorations are taken down, and everyone goes back to their regular schedule, people can easily forget the reminder Christmas should be to us. The truths of the Christmas season are things that everyone is in need of right now and truths that stay true all year round.

"I may plan to make Christ the center of Christmas, but when I wait until December to focus on celebrating His birthday, I become entangled in Christmas lights, holiday baking, and festive engagements, often wondering if I've experienced the elusive 'true meaning' of Christmas." ―Ann Marie Stewart

In the discouraging world that we live in people need to be reminded of the truths of Christmas all year round. They need to feel love, they need to feel joy, they need to see that there is hope, and they need to know peace is possible. People need the truths of Christmas throughout the year because Christmas is all about the light that came to Earth for you and me. This light made joy, peace, and hope possible. In the year ahead, my challenge to my readers is to be carriers of these qualities throughout the year. Look for opportunities to make someone feel loved, joy, peace, and hope. Everyday.

"The Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all year round."

―J. I. Packer

Something that can often be missed in the fad of setting new years resolutions is the calling of all believers to be godly and pursue this attribute daily. Godliness is not something any of us will achieve in a lifetime due to the human inability to be holy, but we can make goals to make baby steps daily, weekly, and monthly so that on New Year's Eve of 2022 we are a more godly version of ourselves. Part of godliness is love, joy, and peace.

Christmas is a huge part of the foundation of Christianity, without it, there would be no redemption from sin. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no hope of eternity in heaven. In 2022, let the priority of your goals be to live intentionally, give wholeheartedly, and show the truths of Christmas to whoever God places in your path.