Living in Ukraine and being from the USA, one must reorient ones thinking regarding the celebration of holidays, particularly those holidays with special traditions such as Christmas. In Ukraine December 25th is just like any other workday, with Christmas not celebrated until January 7th according to the Orthodox Calender. New Year’s Day is sandwiched in between but allows two full weeks potentially for reflection on what it means when “unto us a Savior was born.”
This time of year is indeed full of reflection of what we have done and what we plan to do. All too often my focus is look and see what I have done. God offers His perspective on our reflections in Jeremiah 9:23-24.
This is what the LORD says, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, ” declares the LORD.
So as the New Year approaches let us use God’s measure of the past, present and the future. Let our focus be on Him! Retrospectively, we can marvel at what God has done through us. Introspectively, we are thankful for all God is doing in us. Prospectively, we can look forward to what God has planned for us.
Finally, we can ask ourselves two questions. First, do we understand and know God better this past year and do we have a plan to accomplish this in the coming year? Second,was, is and will God be delighted in how we exercise kindness, justice and righteousness?
May God grant us the grace and the ability to follow Him.
