We all have periods of our life that we’d rather forget. We all know what it means to carry regrets around longer than we should. So let’s be sure to do what is right and good with 2017 and let’s not leave anything to chance. You and I both probably had a lot going on, and now’s the time to do what we’ve been waiting to do all year long.

Acknowledge it.
Look it straight in the eye and let it know where it can go, right now:

Under the strict eye of scrutiny and self-examination, lovingly folded in and around with prayer. Look at 2017. Examine it. Weigh it out. Were there some good things? By human estimation, sure. Were there some bad things? Again, by human estimation, this is probably also a yes. But if we just relegate 2017, a whole year for life, to the dustbin, then we have done ourselves and all those other people who have invested in us or poured into us  a severe disservice.

Examination isn’t everyone’s favorite afternoon activity, but it is necessary. To blow it all off is to refuse to examine, to refuse to learn and to obstinately choose to remain in the exact same spot you were previously. Remember, those who refuse to examine their past are doomed to repeat it. And they’ll do it over and over and over again.

They have refused the right to draw a line in the sand and say “It goes no further.” or to declare, “I refuse to see that happen again.” And they relegate themselves to a special circle of hell where nothing ever changes, nothing gets better, nothing gets worse…seemingly. Until it does, and forward progress becomes almost impossible to see, let alone imagine.

I have seen too many people over the years who refuse to look at themselves. They may afford a cursory glance, but they will not take the time or endure the effort to actually grow or go through the discomfort of an honest self-examination.

New Years afford us a pretty plain opportunity for a fresh start, we know this, but if we won’t do the hard work of examining just why we need that new beginning, then we do no one any real good. As Christians, we are reminded by Scripture that God’s mercies are new every morning. We get to see that His grace shines through for us every day, a reminder that we are yet again loved more than we can imagine.

But that love is always filtered through the cross, and it stands as a reminder of why we needed it so desperately. Out of love, thanksgiving & appreciation we cannot allow our lives to go unchanged by His wonderful gift and sacrifice. And so we examine and in examining we reach conclusions, and in reaching conclusions we make plans and in making plans we execute them so we don’t have to live in that brokenness anymore.

We have a whole new year unfolding before us, let’s make sure it’s everything it’s cracked up to be before it even has a chance to settle in.
In the rhythms of your day, make time to look, be honest with yourself and with God, and let that good work begin for an even better tomorrow.