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Happy New Year! Do you have plans to celebrate? Maybe you just want to sleep late because you were up in the wee hours welcoming in the new year. Maybe you gather with friends or family and watch football. Or maybe you go for a run or play a game of your favorite sport. There are many ways to celebrate New Year’s Day. An old one is to make some resolutions.
I did say “old” right? Did you know that the ancient Babylonians made new year resolutions 4,000 years ago?! They were the first to record celebrating the new year. Of course, their calendar was different. The new year began in March. Julius Caesar was the one who tweaked the calendar to begin on January 1st.*
When I was a teenager, our church youth group gathered on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, we’d write a resolution on paper and seal it in an envelope. Then we’d write our address on the envelope. The adult leader would collect them. Later, usually about June, the leader would mail out all the envelopes. It was supposed to remind us to keep the resolution.
If you are looking for a resolution for this year, why not use Psalm 17:3? It says, “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” (NIV)
If you haven’t already, take a moment and set your goals for the new year.
*Sarah Pruitt, “The History of New Year’s Resolutions,” History, December 30, 2015, updated December 21, 2020, https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.