L.B. Graham — author of the series "The Binding Of The Blade"

Behold, I make all things new.

The start of a New Year brings hope, no matter how bleak the world may sometimes look. It is a reminder that new beginnings is the story of all things, for new beginnings is the way of God who has made all things. The year begins anew, and in the Spring, new life will come, and the cycle of fresh starts will continue, as it ever has done since first the world began, as it ever will do, until at last the world will end, and the last new start of eternity will usher us all into God’s eternal Now.

It is a great comfort in a life full of pain and regret to know the truth of these things, to cling to the truth of these things. God is the New-Maker, the Restorer, the Redeemer of lost and broken things, of lost and broken people. He does what we cannot do, what we cannot imagine, what we cannot believe.

For myself, I very much look forward to the day when God will make me new, to the day when all the things wrong with me are washed away, when the things broken inside of me are fixed and set to rights, when the image of God in me is no longer marred by my own selfish, sinfulness. Not only will there be no more tears, but there will be no more sin – no pride, no selfishness, no anger, no bitterness, no self-righteousness, no lust, no greed, no envy, no gluttony, no hatred, no resentment and so on and so forth – all will be gone. All will be removed and remembered no more.

And while that day is ‘Not Yet,’ I know we are practicing and preparing for eternity here. I know I don’t have to wait until that day for real change to happen, even if I have to wait until then for change to be complete. So I don’t live in the past – in a world of things I cannot change – and I don’t live entirely in the future, in a world I cannot yet see, but I live in the present, hopefully learning from my past with an eye to the promise and sure hope of the future.

So rise and greet the New Year, and remember, no matter what lies behind, no matter what size the load you carry, no matter how heavy the burden, that God is in the business of making all things new.