I’m not normally super conscious of New Year’s Day. It comes. It goes. I find that new seasons in life are more likely to be attached to events than dates.
But I will never forget New Year’s Eve 2001. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see a year end as I was that one. Let me just run down the “highlights” for you.
- 2001 began with a root canal.
- Then my long-distance boyfriend broke up with me over the phone.
- Then I had to replace the front axle of my 1991 Honda.
- That was all before tax day, which was when I discovered that I owed $700 in taxes when I was expecting to get a refund.
I won’t bore you with the rest of the details, but suffice it to say that the whole year was pretty much like that.
- Sept. 11 of that year was a tragedy for the whole nation and left most of us feeling raw for a while.
- And then there was the most stressful work project I’d encountered so far in my career (which amounted to all of two years in length at that point).
- The year ended with a move. (I hate moving!)
By the time New Year’s Eve rolled around, I was so relieved to put that year behind me.
In Hindsight
You know what?
I met my husband in 2001. I just didn’t know yet who he would turn out to be in my life.
And that stressful work project ended up being a defining experience, not only for my career, but also for my work relationships and my life’s calling.
It’s good for me to remember as we head into another new year that God’s mercies are new every morning. And that He is always taking life’s junk and turning it into something beautiful.
What kinds of new beginnings are you asking God for in 2014? And what do you want to see Him redeem from 2013?
Focus on the Family contributed to saving more than 130,000 marriages and helping 560,000 parents manage a significant family crisis within the last year alone. Prepare for your own future family and help us reach millions of others who are suffering from divorce, abuse, and other difficulties. Give the gift of family today. Your year-end gift will be doubled by a matching grant to help twice as many families thrive.
