The New New

In less than 2 weeks from now, 2021 will be over. That first morning of January, it will be 2022—a brand new year. Almost everyone will feel the sense of a new beginning. The day will seem exceptionally fresh and filled with possibilities.

But then routines and habits will shut that down almost right away. By the second day of 2022, almost everyone will feel the sense of just another day, just another year.

Trying to upgrade once a year just doesn’t stick. All the momentum of the previous 364 days steamrolls right over all our good intentions. Even if we do accomplish some improvements, ultimately even these seem fairly unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Only a Christian can make resolutions that have substance. First, it is a matter of being resolved to belong to Jesus through baptism. Then every time the sun comes up, we are re-resolved to thrive in our new life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here” (II Corinthians 5:17).

The only way 2022

is going to be significantly new for anyone is to follow Jesus. He is the only one who can make the new genuinely new.