As the new year rolls in, I can't help but think about everything that transpired over this past year. The good, the bad and the ugly. I've heard it said that with the entrance of a new year, each person is given a clean slate. This new year is a fresh start where anything could happen. Whatever happened this past year no longer matters, because everyone gets a new year to do things right. New resolutions, new diet plans, new promises.
Don't get me wrong, I think the idea of a fresh new start is great. However, I also think that it can be a little misleading. The start of a new year brings new promises and new motivations, yes. But the idea that everything from the past year is wiped clean because it is now a fresh new year can be a deceptive fantasy. Come Jan. 1, pretty much the only thing that is fresh and clean is my new calendar!
Despite the cliches of a fresh start with a new year, the hard truth is that the old year carries over for each and every day of that new year. The hurt from broken relationships doesn't magically disappear when the clock strikes 12. Neither does the fear of what the future will or will not bring for this year.
But you know what also carries over to the new year? All of the true relationships that will never die. The new friendships that bloomed. The lessons that were learned. I have learned so much through the hurt, the heartache and the mental battles that I faced this year. I don't want to have that wiped off my slate. I went through various fires, and Jesus helped me to walk out of each and every one. I wouldn't give that up for a million new starts.
I guess the lingering question is this: Do I want a new start that wipes the slate clean, allowing me to forget? Or do I want a start that gives me new beginnings while allowing me to remember and cherish the tough times? Because with hurt comes lessons and healing. And forgetting means having to relearn those lessons all over again. I choose the latter.
No comments:
Post a Comment