Advent Anticipation: 5 Reasons to Look Forward to a New Year

by Jennifer Haynie @JenniferHaynie1

2020 has been awful. I’m sure I’ve said that numerous times. Probably you have as well. Sure, maybe there have been some bright spots, but for most of us, the net has been a negative. But, at the time of this post, there will be only 17 days left in 2020. The old year is waning, and a new year is upon us.

In my January posts, I’ll share some more of my insights into 2021, but today, I want to explore why we like a new year, why we anticipate it.

It’s a time to shed the events of the past year. This year has been hard on us all, and as we start 2021, it’ll still be hard. Lord willing, that will begin to wane. But maybe there are other reasons why it’s a good idea to kiss 2020 good bye. Job loss. Death of a loved one or beloved pet. General depression due to the pandemic. Kicking 2020 to the curb and ushering in 2021 allows us to consider shedding everything that happened in 2020. That doesn’t mean forgetting. We can never go back to innocence because we’ve lived life just that much longer. But we can live in anticipation of a better future in 2021.

It’s a chance to start over. For some reason, turning to a new calendar and tossing the old one into the trash gives a sense of starting over. I wonder if it’s because God is a God of second chances, and He hardwired that into us, His created. We want a fresh start, and a new year seems to provide it. Are relationships strained for you? The job still not there? Could be. May 2021 provide that second chance we all need.

It’s a time to dream. We don’t know what the future holds. Sometimes, we fear the future, but for some reason, the end of the year offers us a chance to dream a little. Maybe this is a graduation year for you. Or the year for a new child to be born. Or the year you put your retirement plan into action. What will those events look like? Dream a little.

It’s a chance to wipe the slate clean. Tossing away a calendar in favor of a new calendar can be cathartic. A new year can be an opportunity to right wrongs, to ask for forgiveness, to accept an apology. It echoes back to what Christ did for those who love Him and call Him Lord. He wiped that slate clean but not just for a year. For an eternity.

It’s an opportunity for new hope. A new year seems bright and shiny where the old year seems dull, dingy, and dirty. Hope can rise in us at the dawn of a new year. And hope is what can pull us through very dark times. It echoes the hope we have of salvation that comes through knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior.

So, if you’re ready to burn 2020, I’m right there with you. Seventeen days, my friend. Then comes the start of a new year. May your new year be a time to hope, to dream, and maybe even have a badly needed do-over.

The new year can bring much anticipated and badly needed change into our lives. #authenticity #encouragement Click To Tweet

Question: Why do you anticipate the arrival of 2021?

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