New Year 2007

(Didn't get to take any gloomy picture, but this will do.)

Outside my window the sky looks gloomy. It has been raining since last night. So much for welcoming the new year.

Everybody looks tired. And sleepy. The blood shot eyes, the croaky voices, the heavy eyelids. But I remember that while pretty much the whole world celebrated last night with a frenzy so characteristic of the New Year’s Eve, I stayed peacefully at home. We had a quiet dinner—my family and I. I remember how my mother prayed and thanked the Lord for the year that was to pass and the year that was to come. I could still recall how my father, in frequent intervals during the meal, told us that without God in our midst, we’d be nowhere.

The realization that God has been faithful despite my sins, my imperfections, and my pride overwhelms me. Year 2006 has been a year of learning. I remember how I rushed out of my parents’ bed room where everyone was, went to the dining table, and there opened my Bible. Then, it all made sense to me. The pieces fell at their proper places. Like a puzzle. The trials I’ve gone through, the people I’ve met, the verses that ministered to me—and the design was God’s enduring love to His children.

I wonder if anyone at home has tried opening my Bible. Inserted between the cover are the pieces of paper where I wrote my prayer in red ink. It was full of thanksgiving. And yes, there was a petition, too: that the Lord will prepare my heart for 2007, that I be used by the Lord for His glory alone.

In the best and highest sense, I wish you all a happy new year.

TAGGED AS: new year, 2007