Sweep out the old- Make Room for the New
By: Bethany Plett
We welcomed the new year in as a family several weeks ago. The children had talked
about it for quite some time that they wanted to stay awake till midnight to watch it make
its appearance. My husband and I didn’t commit to their request until the day before it
happened, lest we should back down on our decision and disappoint them. But finally,
we made up our minds and decided that since we had not experienced this ushering in
of the new year very often in the past, we would stay up for it this year.
After going for a drive, wandering through a little village of lights around a pond close
by, the countdown was on! We played games and sipped our hot chocolate and
counted down the minutes, some for the new year and others for the time we could go
to bed. First it was 2 hours, then 1 hour, then half an hour. Then 10 minutes. Then 2.
Excitement was running high! The children grabbed their pellet gun and whistles and
made a dash for the back porch. For some odd reason I grabbed the broom and started
sweeping the floor. I guess since it was Saturday evening with company coming the
next day, my tired brain analyzed the situation and I knew if I quickly tidied up the floor,
it would be one less thing on my to-do list in the morning.
I was sweeping together my pile of cookie crumbs and candy wrappers and popcorn
when I heard the grand shout! With whistles blowing, children screeching, and excited
pops from the gun, they announced the arrival of 2023 to all our wise neighbors who
decided to go to bed early.
And when they came back in to take the old calendar off the wall and put up the new
one, guess what! The floor was clean! Cleaner anyways.
As I pondered the night’s events the following day, I had to grin. Ushering in the new
year with a broom in my hands. How fitting. Not only had I made sure my kitchen floor
was swept, but earlier that day I had taken some time to commune with my Father in
heaven and reflect on the past year and sweep the corners of my heart so I, too, could
have a fresh start. I’m not big on a long list of New Year’s resolutions, but the end of the
year is a great time to sit back and think about the lessons learned and the things we’d
like to change and improve in the next chapter of our lives.
To remember precious moments with loved ones that inspired us to treasure our
family and friends more deeply.
To ponder a close parting or a death that touched our hearts and made us look at life
more seriously than we did before.
To recall the special moments that passed too quickly and we wish we would have
paused longer to enjoy the blessings in them.
To reflect on the mistakes we made and let them inspire us anew to keep pursuing
those positive changes that we made for the better.
To recall the kind words someone spoke to us and remember how it made us feel,
and seek for ways we can minister to someone else’s heart.
To think back to those brief moments when we stopped in our tracks and lifted our
eyes to the sky and with heart-felt gratitude, thanked the Lord for another answered
prayer or moment where we could say, “I know that was You, Lord. Thank-you!”
Life is teaching us new lessons every day, and it is up to us to learn from them and
make the changes that will shape us into the person we were meant to be. Each year is
made up of moments. Sad ones and happy ones. Bright ones and dark ones. Moments
that we want to hang on to, and ones we wish we could forget. It’s what we do with
these moments that will leave an imprint on our life and all those around us. We can
shrink in defeat or rise up and learn. We can dwell on the dark times or praise God for
the opportunity He gave us to grow more into the image of Christ. We can be bitter
about our prayers not being answered the way we thought they should be, or thank our
Heavenly Father that He could see the whole picture and knew what was best for us all
along.
How thankful we must be that we can place our cares and worries into the hands of
the one who loves us so much, and who delights in sweeping the corners of our hearts
and making our lives sparkle with His cleansing blood! It is because of His amazing
grace that we can step over the threshold of a new year with a fresh start, and with this
promise from His Word we can face tomorrow with courage and trust..
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11