I've been thinking about a new year and the significance of such mile-markers. I wonder about periods of time when, presumably, people did not have the benefit of a sense of time, at least the way we do now. How was their life different because of it? How is mine different because of my sense of time? Last year, at this time, I had a sense of something coming. I didn't know what it was, but I felt mindful of it. Looking back, things did come. Some were expected; some weren't -- but, 2016 was fulfilling...and a year of letting go.
So what about this year? How will it be marked -- as a new year or just another year? What will it bring?
For some reason, my mind has gone to the story of David and Goliath. There are many facets to it, to be sure. But, one that has been sitting with me has to do with the notion of what faithfulness with the many small things of life, the things that take up a lot of time, has to do with what happens when the big things come. I think it is likely that David moved in his big moment with Goliath the way he did because of what he learned through the much longer periods of time in his life. The times where much smaller things were going on, where he learned to believe what he did, probably significantly shaped who he was and what he did in the big one.
When we were in Colorado over Christmas, I was struck by the passion of Tami's Dad for some of the people in the family who are really struggling with life. He prayed for them, in a deep and groaning way. It seemed like he thought it mattered that he did so.
What about me? Why do I pray when I do? Truth be told, it is often over similar things. I wonder about the significance of being willing to pray for some of these people this year. Would it be like the many small things that David learned to do over a long period of time? Would it matter for who I am praying for? Would it matter for me? Would it matter at the moment of an unforeseen big event...because I had been choosing to regularly pray for them?
Perhaps, this year, the significance of 2017 is not because it is new. Perhaps, the significance of it is that it is just another year...where it really matters how I do the smallest of things of life faithfully. I think it does matter, somehow. And, if it does, I want to do it.
