It is New Year’s Day once again, and, as I have done for the last three years since living in Oamaru, I go to Holmes Wharfe, take a photo of the sunrise, and take the time to reflect.
In my thoughts this early morning, I pondered this question: Does the New Year truly propel us forward?
I searched, and according to Google’s AI Overview (via NPR): Yes, the New Year feels like it moves us forward by providing a psychological “chapter break” for fresh starts, resolutions, and hope, rooted in the Roman god Janus (looking back and forward). Still, it’s a human-made marker, not a natural one, offering a symbolic time to reset and plan, even if meaningful change can happen any day.
Our usual belief that the New Year ushers in something new stems from the imperial rulings of the past millennium, which established the Gregorian calendar adopted by the majority of the world, mostly Christians.
It is also important to note that other cultures use calendars with conventions different from the Gregorian calendar, such as the Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic, and Maori calendars.
It doesn’t matter which calendar you use or when your New Year starts—people created these traditions. The idea of starting over at the New Year is just a helpful symbol.
My meditation led me to Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Three resounding points came to mind that would help us advance life in the new year.
1. God’s timing and purpose remain above all human effort
The verse tells us that it is God, not us, who makes everything beautiful according to His appointed time. This truth reminds us that no matter how people celebrate the New Year—whether through preparing a variety of delicious foods, setting off the loudest and most colourful fireworks, or wishing for a beautiful year ahead—God’s timing and purpose remain above all human effort.
2. Celebrating eternity God has set in our hearts daily
The verse reminds us that God has set eternity in the human heart. Because we have eternity in our hearts, we must prioritise celebrating eternity over the man-made New Year or any symbolic time.
When God created day and night, he based them on eternity, not on any calendar. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day (Genesis 1:5).
The Psalmist in Psalm 90:12 prays for God to teach us to number our days (and not years) that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Lamentations 3:22-23 did not say that the mercies of the Lord are new every “year”.
It says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
3. We cannot fathom the ways of God
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9). Since we do not know what the future holds for 2026 and beyond, we choose to anchor our faith and our lives in God. It’s important for us to take time to pray and seek His guidance so that we can fulfil His purpose for us.
As I finished my meditation, I felt a deep sense of gratitude, reminding me just how beautiful everything could be when we depend on God’s guidance and power.
I realised that, regardless of the challenges or joys the new year may bring, it is my daily celebration of the eternity that God has placed in my heart that truly drives me forward. This holds true whether the days add up to a year or more.
Happy New Year to all!
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