Happy New Year

Here comes the New Year again! I remember that as a child, New Year was a magical time that always filled my heart with joy and excitement. Only children can get so excited just for the sake of the holidays. Sometimes, a dull adult may ask such a kid, “what are the things that you are looking forward to in the new year?” It’s rather difficult for a child to understand that, and even if he could, he has no idea how to answer it properly. Children do not really care what would happen to them in the new year, yet they always experience inexplicable joy about the Spring Festival, much more enthusiastic than an adult with the best new year prospect in mind.

A child looks at the new year through an open sunroof: he sees a new sky, which instantly sets his mind to fly into the immerse blue sky. An adult looks at the new year through an open door: he sees a new ground, which instantly stirs up his mind to survey and to search for a resting spot and a fertile land. Therefore, young people enjoy the best of both worlds: they welcome the future both with wings of imagination, and with their feet ready to chase their dreams. Sooner or later, they would fall under the middle-age crisis, and there would be not much room left for imagination any more. The situation is about to get worse from there …, for seniors, not only they have long closed their sunroof towards the new year, but they do not even want to open the door, because they know as soon as they walk over the threshold, their aging body parts would have one less year left in their lives. New Year may bring cheers to everyone else, but only lamentations to fragile seniors, as a Chinese poet put it so aptly, “As one gets older, he counts new year no more as a gain, but a loss.”

We would all go down this road, moving from a colorful and cheerful childhood, into a grey and depressive old age, and finally, to cease from having new years altogether. There are two dates engraved on every tombstone, which tells a mourner how many new years the deceased had welcomed in his life. One day, Jesus stopped this cemetery traffic, and called Lazarus out from his grave, so that he was able to sit down again with his family for the annual Passover meal. Ever since this Jesus continued to intercept people who are daily getting older and closer to their graves, and softly called them by names. Whoever heard the calling would suddenly wake up and walk out from the dead and walk into an everlasting sunshine. They do not really care what would happen to them in the new year, yet they can experience inexplicable hope for the future, and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.

When I was a child, the greeting of “Happy New Year!” was magical to me, it could instantly turn my tears of sorrow into tears of joy. Now I do not have to wait for the new year, because everyday is a new day in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever I hear the sound of praise, I cannot sit still but want to make my share of joyful noise to the Lord, Halleluiah!

As the Bible says, ¹⁰And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Neh. 8:10 ESV)

Prayer: O Lord! You called me by my name and crown my years with your bounty! Every morning is new. The day of our departure would be our happiest day on earth, because on that same day we would sit at a feast with you in the kingdom of God, and drink to a toast to happiness without end!