Romans 3:10-12: "As it is written. There is none righteous, no, no one... There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.... they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. "And Romans 3:23 says: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Here we are on the doorstep of a brand new year. And that means, for many people, making new resolutions that we are going to do everything right this time. Does this sound familiar?
I remember when I was in school: our school supplies were handed out to us by our teachers. At the first of the new school year we were given new notebooks, a new pencil, an eraser, a pen and nib; the inkwells on our desks were filled with ink; and we were given a scratch pad. It was all right to mess up the scratch pad, but we were expected to keep our notebooks neat. I wasn't particularly a neat writer. In fact, when it came to pen and ink (before the days of ball points), I was downright messy. So, when the teacher handed me my new notebook, especially if it was red, my favorite color, I was determined to keep it neat. I tried. I really did. But not long into the term... maybe even before the first day was over...I had already messed up the clean, new book. Each time I got a new book I would determine all over again that I was going to keep it neat. But I never succeeded.
Here it is, the start of a new year. We have been given a clean sheet of paper, a brand new play. We will perform our part perfectly. We will keep our slate clean. We won't mess up. Will we? Will we?
As we reminisce on the year that’s now gone, Now we stand on the brink of a brand new year, So we dream of some ways to improve ourselves; Let us stand in front of the mirror now--
Are we shedding a tear or two
Because of the many chances we missed?
Or the things that we didn’t do?--
Like the letters we’d write, or the people we’d call?
Or the dreams we said we’d pursue?
Or the weight we would lose, or a habit we’d drop?
Is this our year in review?
A year that’s untarnished, and clean.
We are handed a play, with the pages blank,
A clear slate, an empty screen.
We think in our minds how we’ll write the plot--
A perfect, unblemished scene.
We’ll make up for the flaws that the old plays have had,
And the errors that have been.
And we list resolutions galore,
Knowing all very well that few will be kept:
We have seen it happen before.
But we’ll not give up hope. We will face day by day
Any challenge the year has in store.
We will tackle our problems, face up to our foes:
In this play, BEHIND A NEW DOOR.
With a smile from ear to ear,
And see our performance as we’d like it to be
At the close of this play of the year:
We snatched at the chances that floated our way;
We were kind to the ones we hold dear.
We have played our part well. Oh, there’s been no cause
To shed one single tear!
But without God's help this will not be the case. We will not have played our part well. We will have spoiled yet another play, another clean slate, another notebook. We cannot change ourselves. It is impossible for us to keep our natures clean and neat. We have failed before we even get started.
With God's help, however, we will be able to say with Paul: Philippians 1:13 – 14: "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.
Let us press toward the mark this year, with Christ. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13.
Let God be our Director in our Play of the year. He will keep us from messing up our part. After all, He is the Author. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…" Hebrews 12:2a.
© Helen Dowd