A New Year...yet the same (making 2023 more than just another year)

 How can you make this New Year more than just another year?

 New Year’s Eve fosters fond memories for me every year. Growing up, my family would gather friends that had three sons of their own to ring in the New Year together. We alternated which house would host the event and all five of us boys would have blast. I remember eagerly waiting for my turn to play pong on the computer. Odd as it may seem, being able to control a digital line on a screen with a paddle controller mesmerized me. We would play on the Macintosh computer, outside in the snow, and games like operation. Then we snuck into the mysterious a crawl space where we would go and play. It was only four feet high but there were a couple of lights and some toys. The perfect kids’ hang out—parents wouldn’t easily fit!

 Not a New Year’s Eve goes by without me reflecting on those childhood memories. Yet with all the hoopla and expectation that went into celebrating the New Year, there never seemed much new about it. After celebrating with our friends, we would get into the same car, with our same family, go back to our same house, and a day or two later be back at our same school. I enjoyed the New Year’s celebration, but besides a different digit at the end of the date, it felt the same.

 Many people hope the New Year brings something different. They want their career to change, their health to improve, their relationships healed, and on it goes. Maybe that’s you this year. Things in your life aren’t how you want them to be and you hope 2023 brings something different. If you’re looking for change in 2023, you actually need to accept and embrace certain realities that remain the same. Counterintuitive, I know, but hear me out. There are three realities that will remain the same in 2023 that you must accept even though you may not like them, and three realities that remain the same you must embrace if you want to experience positive change.

 REALITIES YOU MUST ACCEPT

A New Year yet the same broken people  

If you want to experience positive change in 2023, you must accept that this new year will have the same broken people as last year. I’m not saying that you won’t meet new people this year, for you certainly will. You may even find your future spouse or best friend this year. But every person, including you and me, are broken. We are all marred by sin and regularly mess up. The brokenness of all people will remain the same in the new year. 2023 won’t fix humanity’s brokenness.

 John Ortberg wrote a book titled “Everybody’s normal till you get to know them.” He opens the book describing the “as-is” section of a retail store. These are discounted items because they are damaged and not perfect. You don’t necessarily know what the flaw is immediately, but when you buy an item from this section you purchase it flaws and all. You don’t return items from this section. You get them “as-is.” Ortberg writes, “When you deal with human beings, you have come to the ‘as-is’ corner of the universe.”

 If you want to experience positive change in 2023 then you need to accept that you’re still dealing with broken people even as you did in 2022. And you’re one of those broken people. Accepting the reality of brokenness in people encourages the exercise of grace and forgiveness. Expecting perfection from others instead of accepting the reality of brokenness will lead to a lot of frustration, anger and heartache. Accept the reality that as humans we are broken. We’re located in the “as-is” section of the universe.

 A New Year yet the same consequences

We must accept that our actions have consequences no matter what year it is. You may enter this New Year hoping for a better life, but if you continue making poor choices and behaviors then 2023 will look a lot like 2022. Rather than hoping for a different consequence for the same action, you need to accept that you’ll receive the same consequences if you continue certain actions.

 Are you hoping for a better year financially? You’ll get the same consequences of financial hardship if you keep spending more than you earn. Are you hoping you’re more fit in 2023? If you continue to eat poorly and avoid exercise then the consequences will stay the same. Are you wanting to grow spiritually? If you continue to avoid Christian fellowship, the Word of God, and prayer then you will continue to struggle spiritually. Do you want to have more friends? If you keep engaging in unfriendly behavior then forget it. If you want positive change in 2023, you need to come to terms with the reality that consequences for certain actions remain the same regardless of the year. The LORD tells in Galatians 6:7 that a person reaps what he or she sows. Accept that fact and quit expecting your negative actions to bring positive outcomes.

 A New Year yet the same circumstances

A New Year doesn’t magically change your circumstances. Your circumstances can and do change over the years, but the New Year does not make that happen. And some circumstances we have little control over. Were you diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2022? Unfortunately, you’re going to be dealing with it at the beginning of 2023. Did you lose someone you loved in 2022? A new year will not bring them back. Did the company you work for declare bankruptcy and dissolve? You’re not going to get your old job back in 2023.

 Accepting the reality of our current circumstances forms a foundation upon which a person can move forward. If we are constantly waiting for a magic wand to wave and make things all better, we’ll stay stuck in a mire of wishful thinking rather than dealing with reality. Some circumstances we can control (we’ll look at that in a bit) but other circumstances we can’t. And those circumstances we have no control over will carry over into the new year. We need to accept that reality if we want to move forward in a positive way.

 Those are some same realities we must accept, but what are some same realities that we must embrace to experience positive change in 2023?

 

REALITIES YOU MUST EMBRACE

A New Year with the same God in control

Sin may have resulted in a broken world with broken people, but God is still the God of redemption and restoration. The same God that redeemed Israel from slavery, made a shepherd boy a king, healed the sick, and died on behalf of humanity reigns today. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 102:25-27, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.”

 God remains the same, and that truth we must embrace. No matter the trials we may face in this year or next, God’s character remains the same. He is in control and accomplish His will. He loves you and wants the best for you.

 A New Year with the same promises to hold

In a similar fashion, God’s promises remain the same year after year. He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised that He will complete the work He began in us (Philippians 1:6). He has promised to always love us (Romans 8:38-39). He has promised us a home with him forever (John 14:2-4). He has promised to comfort us (2 Cor. 1:4), to strengthen us (Philippians 4:13), to help us (Hebrews 13:6) and the promises go on. The promises God laid out in His word are true every year. No new year negates the promises of God. We may forget the promises of God. We may distrust the promises of God. But nothing negates the promises of God. If you want to experience positive change in 2023, then you need to embrace the same promises of God. Holding on to God’s promises instills the confidence to move forward in the path He has for you.

 A New Year with the same opportunity for growth

Every year gives you an opportunity to grow as a person. You may have missed some of those opportunities in 2022, but they were there. God is in the business of transforming people and offers opportunity after opportunity to grow and develop into the person He wants you to be. At times, He provides those opportunities in circumstances that we perceive as negative. The difficult co-worker who gives us the opportunity to grow in grace and forgiveness. That job layoff that gives us the opportunity to grow in faith. But they also can come in a way that we perceive as positive. That raise at work that gives you the opportunity to grow in generosity. God uses the circumstances of life, whether we perceive them as good or bad, as opportunities for our growth.

 2023 will bring you and opportunity to grow even as 2022 brought. Look for those opportunities. Seize those opportunities. Trust in God and submit to His Spirit’s work in your life. You will end 2023 a more mature disciple of Christ as a result.

 

WHAT CAN CHANGE?

As we saw, a number of realities will stay the same in this new year, but there will be change as well. Most of that change we will have little control over. Government actions, natural events, corporate decisions, people’s behavior, etc. But there are some changes we can control that will result in positive change for 2023.

 We can’t change broken people, but we can change how we interact with them.

Try as we might, you and I can’t change someone else. We may want to. But we can’t. We can never change someone else. Each person makes their own choices and is responsible for those choices. We can’t change other people, but we can change how we interact with them and as a result influence them. We can change what we say, how we say it, what we do, how we respond to their comments. When we change how we interact, there is a good chance you may even see change in them. No guarantee, but a possibility.

 What needs to change in your life as you interact with others? How can you be a better friend or family member? Where do you need to grow relationally? If you are honest with yourself, you probably know an area in your life that needs to change. But all of us have blind spots so you may want to ask someone close to you what they think. Don’t argue with their answer, simply thank them for it and humbly consider their observation. You can’t change others, but you can change how you interact with others.

 We can’t change the consequences, but we can change our actions that lead to them.

Try as I might, I am never going to change certain consequences. If I intake more calories then I burn I will gain weight no matter how much I might want to change that consequence. Those calories won’t magically disappear, but will be stored in the form of fat. I can’t change that fundamental principle of nutrition. More calories in than calories burned results in weight gain. I can however change the first part of that equation. I can choose to intake fewer calories, burn more calories, or both. But I can’t change the resulting consequence.

 Some of life’s struggles are self-inflicted. We want different consequences but are not changing the actions leading to those consequences. God allows us to experience the consequences of our actions when we make foolish decisions. What consequences are you experiencing where if you change your actions you will get a different result? It’s a waste of time and energy to sit and complain about a natural consequence of your action. Focus your energy and time on changing the actions instead. When you do that, you’ll find positive change in 2023.

 We can’t change all of our circumstances, but we can change our perspective on them.

Some circumstances we can change by changing our actions, but some circumstances are beyond our control. A natural disaster, a chronic disease, the loss of a loved one, and the list goes on. All of us experience circumstances beyond our control. We can’t change those circumstances. We can’t stop a storm from damaging our home. No one has found a cure for cancer at this point. We can’t bring back the dead. God certainly can intervene miraculously in any situation and we have seen Him do that, but that is still in His hand not ours. We can’t control those circumstances, but we can change our perspective.

 Perhaps one of the most difficult verses to quote sincerely is James 1:2, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” The verse would be more palatable if it read, “Hang in there, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” I could handle that a little better. The trial is terrible and I have to endure it, but at least I can whine about it while I endure it. However, James doesn’t write that. He writes, “Count it all joy…” That’s a whole other level than “hanging in there.” That’s a perspective shift. Fortunately, James doesn’t merely throw out that command with no rationale. He gives us a reason for rejoicing in the next two verses, “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

 Circumstances we can’t control are opportunities for growth in our lives. The trials we face can deepen our faith and push us toward God and help us experience Him in deeper ways. That is reason to rejoice. Satan may use trials to break us, but God uses trials to make us. Satan thought he could break Job, but after all was said and done, Job knew God far better than he did before. We can’t change every circumstance, but we can change our perspective.

 

If you want to make 2023 more than just another year: 

Accept the hard realities that remain the same,

Embrace the God realities that remain the same,

And make the changes YOU can make.

 Have a God-blessed, life-changing New Year!

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