What’s So Great About New Anyway?

Every time a year ends and another begins we start to focus on “new”. We make New Years resolutions. We want to find new ways to do things. We desire something different from the shiny new year. But I wonder . . . what’s so great about new anyway? What about instead of new, we try improved?

I am beginning to think that we spend so much time running after the latest, greatest, newest thing that we are missing out on what we already have. For instance, I cleaned out my closet recently. I found a bunch of things I forgot were buried in there. All of these clothes were old but suddenly, because I had not seen them in a while, they didn’t seem old anymore. Why can’t we do that with our lives? Why don’t we look for the good and maybe forgotten things, like that old recipe we haven’t cooked in so long no one in our family even remembers it. Instead of writing off that relationship, look for what has been good about it. You know, think back on those forgotten moments and remember how great they were. Now carry that into your future encounters.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against new. Like, I love that in the Bible it says God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23 NIV). That is a new I’ll take every day. Why? Because it is perfect, consistent and reliable. And it is improved, absolutely improved. Or what about the new name we’ll be given by God himself. (Revelation 2:17 NIV). I love my name, but a new one that God picks out, Oh that will be a vast improvement. These are things that are new and great! These are the kind of new things I want to focus on. I’m tired of the same old idea of new. It’s so boring and stale. Let’s expand our horizons. Come on . . . try something new