A New Dawn

 “If anyone is in Christ, their old life is gone; a new life emerges." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Impulsively, Jerrod and his wife decided, just once, to spend New Year’s Eve ’23 in Times Square.

They weren’t daring enough to stand outside in the freezing cold for more than 12 hours without bathroom breaks. So, they booked a Marriot package that included dinner in a room overlooking the Square where the Ball would drop.  

Originally made of wood and iron, the current Ball’s geodesic sphere measures 12 feet in diameter and weighs nearly 5 tons. Its 672 LED modules display a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns, creating a spectacular kaleidoscope effect.

The Ball began its descent 60 seconds before the main event. At exactly midnight, its lights burst to life as "2023" shone high above Times Square. A blizzard of colorful confetti rained down from surrounding rooftops.  Shivering revelers welcomed the new year with a barrage of pyrotechnics, singing, dancing, and celebrating the time of their lives.

The next morning, Jerrod and Julia walked to the subway to head back home. The atmosphere was ghostly. Just hours after a million people had crammed into Times Square, hundreds of sanitation officials had worked all night clearing the streets of millions of pieces of confetti, trash, and discarded novelty-themed items.

Everything appeared back to normal. Traffic flowed as if last night’s pandemonium never occurred.

We see our lives differently each January 1^st almost as if we’re starting over with a clean slate. Street sweepers let us begin a new book, its content yet unwritten.

It’s a new dawn, everything is possible. Every calendar page is blank. Every diet is successful. Every closet can be reorganized. Every failure can be corrected.

A happy new year is partly about turning a fresh new page in life and mostly a journey of gratitude for all goodness that had been bestowed the previous years. It’s a welcoming of new fortunes and fortitude to meet challenges with grace and a loving heart.

It’s customary on this day to draw up resolutions – to make promises that probably won’t last until February if they even make it to the end of this week.

Let’s make 2023 a new beginning born of the Holy Spirit. Resolve to dwell in possibilities, to see every day, not just this one, as a fresh beginning. Resolve to welcome every blank page, every new start, with trust that God will see you through it – and then reflect on it in your heart.

Find new solutions and see how your actions beam outward into the world. We can't change how others’ actions radiate toward us.  We can only try to become the best possible role model of benevolence and compassion, hoping that in time our world improves.

Almighty God, thank You that You are with me, that You are in me. Thank You for new beginnings. This year, open my heart so that I can hear You and enjoy You every single moment of 2023. Amen