Numbers

December 31, 2019

They are just numbers on a page: 12/31/19, but they represent all that has happened this past year, as well as wistful hopefulness for the next. What is it about this particular date that we want to remember and reflect...and look forward to a better year to come? Why not August 31 or the spring solstice? Whatever the reason for the date, we seem to be hardwired to do it; we NEED to reflect, and to dream. 

Linda and I were talking this afternoon about life. It seems to me I’m not accomplishing all I had imagined I would once retirement fully kicked in. Things I want to get done lie untouched. She reminded me I spent the day assembling furniture for the Options Care Center, but it still felt like I should have gotten more done. Even my writing isn’t what I want it to be. When I look back at things I wrote two or three years ago, I often say to myself, “that was pretty good; why am I writing such drivel today?”

The trap is subtle, but effective. When we look only at what we have or haven’t accomplished, we locate our source of joy and satisfaction, our well-being in ourselves, in our abilities and talents, which may or may not be sufficient to meet the challenges of the day. Simply put, my best efforts cannot adequately justify my existence, which is why St. Paul tells us we are justified only by faith in Christ. He alone is adequate for the challenges we face; he alone can atone for our failure to meet those challenges successfully.

Whether it’s ringing out the old or ringing in the new, when our adequacy is rooted in our ability, we are in trouble. My faith is in Jesus Christ, not James Bailey. He alone can adequately affirm the successes of the past year, forgive the failures, and provide the wisdom and strength for the new. I am thankful tonight that I’m still here (at 70, I have my “threescore and ten”), and that  all rests in the hands of a wise and loving God.