Faith, Hope and Love in the New Year

   Usually around the beginning of each year, I spend time thinking about goals or things to focus on during the next twelve months. I haven’t done that yet; however, two areas of improvement are already formulating in my mind...one having to do with time spent praying and praising God and the other involving a change of attitude.

   On New Year’s eve, Al and I agreed to pray together at midnight. We ended up going to bed around eleven o’clock, but set the alarm clock to wake us up just before the ushering in of 2108. That worked well and after a brief time of prayer together, we both went back to sleep.

   A few minutes later, the sound of loud barking came from the room where the dogs were sleeping. They met me at the door, with the look of panic on their faces—fireworks! Yikes! As I sat up with Teddy and TJ, scratching their ears, my prayer time was extended until the sound of the very last explosion. It was a good start to focusing more on prayer and praise in 2018!

   The second area of improvement was inspired by a small group study that Al and I participated in just before Christmas. Most of us have seen A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens many times on TV, at a movie theater or as a live drama acted out on stage usually in December. The book we read and discussed was The Redemption of Scrooge, by Matt Rawle, an interesting new look at the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.

   Does the mere name of Scrooge conjure up an unpleasant image of him or bring to mind descriptive words such as mean, hardhearted, consumed with making money and self-centered? As for his most famous words, who could forget “Bah! Humbug!”?

   But wait, what about the change that occurred after his scary midnight dream when the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, visited him and told him that three spirits would be coming to his room? After peering back into his past with the help of the “Ghost of Christmas Past,” peeking into the home of his employee Bob Cratchit along with the “Ghost of Christmas Present” and finally looking at a morbid scene of what could happen in the future when visited by the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,” Scrooge woke up a different person.

   When he realized that the future wasn’t set in stone and that it was Christmas morning, joy filled his heart. “‘It’s Christmas Day!’ said Scrooge to himself. ‘I haven’t missed it.’” (Redemption of Scrooge, p. 128) Another chance at life and new hope, what wonderful gifts! Ebenezer Scrooge made a ‘u-turn’ that day, beginning by showing compassion for an employee, Bob Cratchit and his frail son, “Tiny Tim.”

   It doesn’t seem right that the name Scrooge instantly invokes all of the bad characteristics of this man rather than the transformation that was made. That is where my attitude needs adjusting. A former pastor called it “putting on our Jesus glasses.” I need to see Scrooge and others through the eyes of Jesus, rather than through harsh eyes of judgment.

   A similar situation is found in Luke 15:11-22, where Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son. Do we remember him for his change of heart that brought him back to his father or for the rebellion and disobedience that led him to take his share of the inheritance and leave home in the first place. Do we rejoice along with his father at having his son back again or side with the older brother and judge him for making wrong choices in life?

   When you stop to think about it, praying more, being thankful and seeing others through the eyes of Christ are great goals for the New Year. Focusing on those things would bring about transformation in our lives as well as in the lives of those around us. Please help us, Oh Lord!

   

   “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

   “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

1Peter 4:8 NIV