It's been exciting listening to the many new year's resolutions that others have made for the year. While pondering about the resolutions made, the thought of how long this new year's resolutions will last crossed my mind but what lingered longer was the reasons behind each resolution.
"I'm thinking of cutting down on drinking… as I want to be healthier."
"We're looking at exercising more… because we want to be stronger."
"The family's hopefully going to sleep earlier… since we want to be more rested."
What struck me the most was that at the root of most of these resolutions was that what we were really wanting deep down was for something to change, for something new.
When something is new
Probably one of the bible verses often quoted during this time of the year is Isaiah chapter 43, verse 9 -"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!" This verse ignites a spark in our life. It breathes a fresh wind. It lights a fire of hope for something new to grow.
The new movie that will premier in the cinemas.
The new dish on the menu.
The new house that is done building.
The new job we have been promoted to.
The new baby that is born.
The new faith in a God who made us and loves us.
We're filled with a fuzzy feeling in our hearts when there's something new happening. This is accompanied by a tingling sensation of anticipation as we look forward to the changes that will happen.
When the new becomes the norm
There are always new things in our life at SOME point. However, new things don't happen ALL the time. Even with the new things, they will eventually lose their newness and become old.
The new movie becomes the same old movie.
The new dish becomes the same old dish.
The new house becomes the same old house.
The new job becomes the same old job.
The new baby becomes a part of the same old family (when you reach a certain stage in your life, the number of family members becomes stagnant as the babies stop coming before we get additions by marriage which will then lead to the new baby cycle starting again with grandchildren… anyway, the point is, there will be a period of time when the family stops growing in numbers for a moment).
The new faith becomes the same old religion.
So, what had made us fuzzy and tingly, no longer excites us like it first did. The new is no longer new but becomes the norm - the boring repeated mundane that we do and face each day without much expectations and with little to look forward to.
When nothing is new
As such, there will be days without new things. Sometimes, nothing changes in the new year.
It's the same old drama series we've been watching where we know the storyline.
It's the same old dishes we've been eating where the taste becomes plain.
It's the same old house we've been living in where we are accustomed to it.
It's the same old job we've been employed at where our role is repetitive.
It's the same old family without any new babies where conversations are lesser since everyone knows everyone.
It's the same old religion where we know who God and go through the religious checklist of praying, tithing and attending church.
What happens when there's nothing new to look forward to?
We enjoy the holidays but loathe going back to work after the break because we lose the sense of newness and excitement as well as the rest when we fall back into the mundane of work life. After all, it's not as if we can live holidaying all our life.
So how then do we maintain that newness when things are back to normal when we head back to work or school and church? How do we continue to be excited about a normal working or schooling day or yet another daily devotion or Sunday church service?
One of the ways in achieving a balanced life where we look after our wellbeing and avoid burnout was to sneak in little breaks with things that we enjoyed during the holidays. Likewise when the new becomes the norm, changing up small things throughout the day helps us spice up our lives so we do not just drift through each day purposelessly.
It doesn't have to be a big thing and event. It doesn't even need to be an expensive thing or a major change.
We can watch the same old drama series but change the snacks we eat while watching.
We can have the same old dishes but pack it for a picnic.
We can live in the same old house but invite various people over.
We can have the same old job but change the way we deliver our job.
We can have the same old family but change the activities when we spend our time together.
We can believe in the same old God, read the same old bible, attend the same old church but change the way we interact with Him each day - sing Him a prayer, go down on bended knees to worship, praise Him in the car, play a game of bible quiz.
Lamentations chapter 3 verse 22-23 which is also a song says, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
We're drawn to new things because we have a God who makes all things new. So even when it seems like there's nothing new for us this year, we can change things up and make teeny weeny new things each day. May your norm be filled with new things!
Esther Koh is a primary school teacher living in Christchurch with her husband and two sons. She loves people and has a passion for helping others find their purpose for living.
Esther Koh’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/esther-koh.html