Happy New Year 2011 - Many Happy Returns to You and Yours!!!!

Happy New Year 2011 – Many Happy Returns to You and Yours!!!!

As a New Year nears, I suggest we resist the perennial temptation to make resolutions about changes and self-improvements.  Most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions relating to dieting, weight loss and exercise by the third week of January.  It seems making these bold proclamations of definitely living a new life is a meaningless ritual.  Rather, I recall Rhonda Britten’s encouraging and empowering acronym, RISK: Release your expectations, Invest in your intentions, Stand for the Truth in all situations and Keep love in everything that you do.  In the year 2011, I suggest we take an “existential RISK of faith,” in the words of the Protestant theologian, Paul Tillich.  Let us live each daily to its fullest. 

You may recall the sage advice of an old friend of mine who refers to expectations as “premeditated resentments.”  Because other people cannot possibly fulfill the minute desires and particular nuances of our expectations, we usually resent whatever effort they make.  First, let God and people surprise you as you let go of all expectations.  Second, we achieve the desires that are borne within our heart of hearts.  They are the dreams and goals that we genuinely and stalwartly intend to accomplish during our earthly journeys.  So, we make the very best use our time, talent, treasure and temperament when we invest in our heartfelt intentions rather than sulk about unfulfilled expectations. 

Third, accepting the truth about any situation is the primary step in resolving it.  For nearly seventy-six years, the recovery community teaches the first step in healing from an addiction is unconditionally accepting the permanent existence of the addiction.  As a consequence, people who attend recovery meetings begin their personal sharing by stating their names and declaring their addiction.  This daily and practical act of humility encourages and empowers people in recovery to progress spiritually.  It enables them to finds the strength to face daily life without the need of mood altering chemicals and substances.  From their experience, we extrapolate the lesson of living with integrity, humility and principles (moral, ethical, biblical and spiritual) regardless of the challenges and circumstances we face. 

Finally, as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are instruments of His unconditional love toward humankind (John 3:16-21 and 1 John 4:7-21).  We strive to keep Christ’s love in everything we do because love is the most redemptive force on earth.  In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul describes love’s genuine nature and attributes.  He concludes this great chapter with the blessed assurance that love never fails.  Thus, we cannot fail when we demonstrate Christ’s love.  Summarily, in 2011, let us apply our faith in our Lord and RISK to achieve new life in Him.

“Don’t Leave Before the Miracle!”  Those words of encouragement and empowerment immediately arose within my mind when I briefly consider abandoning a project.  If I faint, then I will not experience the joy of success and the blessed tiredness of completing a challenge.  As I recall this experience, I think of Naaman, the Syrian military leader and leper, whose story is in 2 Kings 5.  Through divine orchestration and intertwined circumstances, purposes and characters inclusive of a nameless nurse and the prophet, Elisha, Naaman eventually receives healing of his leprosy.  Practically, Elisha, in response to Naaman’s appeal for help, instructs this high ranking military ruler to go to the Jordan River and dip seven times.  Insulted by Elisha’s refusal to meet with him directly and flabbergasted by Elisha’s directives for a cure, Naaman initially complains and refuses to dip in the muddy and dirty Jordan.  He questions the prophet’s choice and wonders why he cannot dip in other pristine bodies of water. 

Nonetheless, Naaman finally follows Elisha’s orders.  However, Naaman does not receive healing until he dips seven actual times.  Interestingly, seven is the biblical number of wholeness.  It alludes to the need to persevere in a process of healing until it practically emerges.  Had Naaman failed to dip seven times, the text insinuates that he would not have been healed.  His example teaches the importance of endurance as we engage the process of inner healing and wholeness.  If we abandon the process, we may leave before the miracle happens.

As we meditate upon the Philippians 3:1-16, I enumerate seven practical application suggestions for “Living Down the Past” that I offered in a recent sermon by that title

1. The writings of Norman Vincent Peale offer a practical mantra for eradicating insidiousness and irrationality of fear when striving to neutralize the mistakes and failures of the past: (A) Don’t panic, (B) Get Organized, (C) Pray, (D) Think and (E) Apply the wisdom that you receive.
2. Eliminate negativity from your life.  Watch your words.  Stay positive with the constant and consistent use of encouraging and empowering words.
3. Visualize the life you seek.
4. Unconditionally accept yourself.
5. Use self-evaluation as a spiritual means of building confidence in yourself.
6. Commit unequivocally and irreversibly to success.  Resist the tendency to reach for an “easier and softer way” of succeeding.  Instead, pay any price and go to any lengths to achieve success and excellence.
7. Be resilient.  Practically speaking, this means that you get up as many times as is necessary in order to stay in the race.