Expect some changes
A new year is coming, and with it a lot of changes are expected to be implemented around the world. A new president is going to be installed in the USA, and he is planning to install a new cabinet of advisors and to appoint some new members to the Supreme Court as new members of Congress assume their responsibilities. Changes in the foreign policies of the USA are already being discussed, and some changes have already been anticipated in how the USA is going to conduct its civic and business operations. These new year changes are going to be extensive, and many of them are controversial. There is no universal agreement regarding the wisdom and strategies for many of these changes, so there is a lot of talk about them and some efforts are already being taken to affect them. But there isn’t much that you or I can directly personally do to basically affect these changes.
Prepare your response
All that we can really do in the face of the new year that is coming with all of its anticipated changes is to prepare how we are going to individually respond to them. That is our fundamental option as we prepare for the New Year. And your attitudes toward this new year and the anticipated changes that it will bring will determine whether or not your daily experiences of living in this world will be ones of being happy, disappointed, frustrated, frightened, angry, sad, peaceful, confident, hopeful, thankful, wise, or foolish. Your attitudes will determine your decisions and your responsive behaviors and they will determine the quality of your experiences, not the nature of the anticipated changes.
Let’s talk about this
What would make you happy this new year? What would make you most sad and disappointed about what transpires from day to day in our world in the new year? What would make you most hopeful and confident in what you see happening in our world in the new year? What are you going to commit yourself to do as you experience the changes that are going to come in the new year to produce the best possible positive results in your personal life? If you would like a to experience a fresh start in your life this year, I invite you to consider this statement New Life in Christ. Let’s talk about this.
I’m going to commit myself to love one another and to encourage others to do the same.This is the new commandment the Lord gave us. The world desperately needs to live in love and not fear.
Jesus never talked about happiness but he did talk about joy and a fulfilling life. It is easy to just want comfort and pleasure as happiness. But Jesus offers more. He offers joy and a real life of fulfillment.
Dana, Please note that the word that is translated as “Blessed” in the Beatitudes that are cited in Matthew 5:3-11 can also be translated or understood to be “happy”, but this is more than a superficial good feeling as you indicate; it is a state of well-being in regard to one’s circumstances of life and particularly in regard to one’s relationship with God.