The Gift of Time

Tonight family and friends will gather in homes, reception halls, and the streets of the world’s major cities to ring in the New Year.  As the ball in Time Square drops, millions will start to sing “Auld Lang Syne”, a well-known Scottish song reflecting on times gone by and the importance of companionship.  And tomorrow, millions will start on their New Year’s resolutions.

Have you ever stopped to wonder, why the celebration?  What makes New Year, well, the start of a New Year, and why is that important to us?  We could research the history of how we mark time, how New Year traditions came to be, but I propose it comes down to this: New Year allows us to celebrate the gift of time, to recognize our life on this earth is precious, and we gather together to remember what is truly important.  Deep down, we know we are a people who fall short of what we were created to be, living in a fallen world, and so we see New Year as providing a “clean slate” in time, allowing us a “fresh start”, and we make resolutions that this year will be better than the last.

But as time continues and the New Year loses some of its luster, we fail at our resolutions, we can lose sight of the meaning of true friendship, and, as we seek to exist in our society, we forget to live.  The psalmist tells us that our lives are like the grasses that spring up, then wither and fade.  So, this New Year, I have but one resolution – that I would not forget each moment is a gift, each person a reflection of God and to live in gratitude.  I pray God would grant me the grace to do this, and to get up and start again when I fail.  I hope you all have a blessed and safe New Year!