Teetering on the Edge

I've often wondered where the idea of having New Year's Resolutions originated. I imagine two housewives of cave men sitting together by the drive-in movie theatre catching a seasonal flick about a brontosaur that saves Christmas. "I got so fat this year on bronto-gurgers" the one says. "Why don't you drive home, then, so you can get most of the work-out" the other adds. "Oh, it's such a short drive home, it won't do anything" is the glib response. "You can always start a work out program this January" the other says. "Great idea! I'll just talk about doing it later, it sounds so fashionable!"

What do New Year's Resolutions guarantee? I think I hear more people joke about not keeping them than actually following through with one. Maybe rules are more fun when they're broken. My favorite is when people make the same resolutions over and over again. Recycling them from one year to the next like old twinkle lights. It's not very creative, but it is tidy. Like choosing "Looking Ahead" or "Plowing Forward" for a New Year's Eve event. I think it is the sweeping generalizations that people make about the furture that make me wary of any kind of fruition. All the planning and talking about how great the New Year will be compared to the old.

This past Thanksgiving in Memphis the church minister preached about post-it notes. He said that God was constantly reminding the children of Israel to not forget, not forget, not forget. God made them eat bitter herbs at passover so they wouldn't forget. God made them live in tents for a few days out of the year so they wouldn't forget. There were wells and ebeneazers galore with special names and exit signs on the free way so they wouldn't forget. "Sing this and don't forget" God would say. "And don't forget to remind the kids" He would add. There were post-it notes everywhere in history.

I like the idea of looking back and reminiscing over the past. I'm a rather nostalgic kind of guy. I could put on a CD of whatever and lose myself in the past for hours if I so desired. So to cater to this weakness of mine I'm going to spend this New Years writing post-it notes about last year. I'm going to remind myself how many times God has answered my prayers since last December. I'm going to remember what He taught me about Himself and how well we got to know each other this year. I'm going to remeber at communion. I'm not going to say a word about tomorrow. I know that the God Who has dealt so very very bountifully with me is powerful enough to fill the next year as He has the last. I think that it in the remembering that He builds our ability to trust His guidance.