Why does everyone get so upset when people say, “New Year New Me”?
Counters:
“Why are you waiting for a new year to change?”
“It’s just another day why wait until 20__?”
“Y’all make me sick with these resolutions just because it is a new year!”
“Why would you wait that long to cut someone off?”
It is not that ALL people wait until the “new year” to change but maybe she spent last year riding on faith and was hoping that a situation was going to change for the best.
Maybe she took a stab at changing something or starting something new throughout the year and failed. So, she just decided to bury that “thing” to keep her from remembering the disappointment of her failed plan!
Maybe she set a few yearly goals and, as the new year started to creep in, she noticed that she had only accomplished X out of XX of the goals. Then this made her realize that either the plan or the goal had to change. So, when she sees the new YEAR is coming, it serves as her “time is up” clock!
To me, it is no different than when someone says they are going to diet, wake up and eat a candy bar, and say I am going to start again tomorrow. It is the idea of starting something fresh. What about when you have a rough week and you say you know what I am going to have to try this thing again next week because this has been one rough week?
It is totally the idea of a “new beginning” or a “clean slate!”
On the flip side, maybe she is like me. I spent 2017 riding on a promise from God. Five years ago, when God gave me the prophesy all of the doors seemed to be opening up and everything seemed to be falling into alignment. I sat on this promise for years—waiting. YEARS! I got so close many times but then at other times, throughout the year, the promise seemed so far away. Slowly my faith started to waver because God made me a promise but, to me, it looked like the promise was dead.
I am willing to admit that being hopeful is painful and vulnerable. So, to protect myself, I lowered my expectations of God delivering the promise He brought forth to me in prophesy. I told myself if I wasn’t expecting the promise, I would not be disappointed if the promise never came. Therefore, when things got wacky, I never did a true pulse check with God to make sure I was on the right track to receive the promise. I spent so much time during that year trying not to get hit by the closing doors that I lost the ability to see the open doors God was putting in my path. As the year continued to progress, I slowly started to ponder how many YEARS had I wasted doing my own thing, which probably kept me from the promise. This thought elicited small changes that year due to me being tired emotionally, mentally, and physically from running the same race and never getting to the finish line. At the end of 2017, I took a deep breath and exhaustedly handed God Tasha’s plans in exchange for His clean slate.
My clean slate allowed 2018 to be the year of RESTORATION. In 2018, God restored so much within me and tangibly. Parts of me that I lost and some I gave away, such as peace and joy, God worked in me to restore and other parts He revived, like my faith. I then no longer became so caught up in the mourning of what I had lost, which made me able to see what I gained. Now in 2019, healed, rebuilt, and whole, I am E X P E C T I N G everything that God promised me before I lost me in the process of waiting on the promise. I will humbly admit that the idea of going another YEAR not reaping the promise was definitely a wake up call for me to be and do something different.
To continue becoming a better version of me in 2019, I created an inspirational mantra to help guide my daily actions. My mantra for 2019 is EXPECTANCY. I will no longer be bound by what used to be but believe in what could be. I will wait in EXPECTANCY on the promise that God delivered to me years ago. I’m playing chess and making bold moves ALL 2019! So I guess you could say I am choosing to be a “new me” because, while waiting in expectancy, I have to do some things differently in 2019!
I have to walk by faith even on those days that it looks like the promise isn't coming. 2 Corinthians 5:7
I have to speak life even when I am discouraged so I don't waver or give up like years before. Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 15:11; Proverbs 21:23
I have to cast down those negative thoughts when they creep in. 2 Corinthians 10:5
I have to operate in such a way that I am allowing God to prepare me to be ready to receive the promise. Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:10
I have to be obedient in doing what God calls me to do in other areas of my life so everything will be in alignment for the promise. James 1:25; 1 Peter 1:14
My advice to the “New Year New Me” people in the back (myself included):
Give yourself more grace and take everything one day at a time. Every day you wake up it is a new chance to reevaluate that “thing”! Your clean slate starts right when you say, “this is my clean slate!”
When you fall short, pray and make small steps towards starting again. Don’t stop yourself from receiving your promise because you are waiting to start over.
Make smaller goals to reach that bigger goal! Waiting to reward yourself when you get to the bigger goal can be frustrating and make it easier to quit. Even if you just reward yourself for changing your thoughts for a day… CELEBRATE!
My advice to the “It’s Just another Year” people in the front:
We know your year has been so perfect that you don’t have to change a thing this year [inserts sarcasm]. Really, stop being so “perfect!”
Use your platform wisely! Although you might not have the laundry list of things to change like your Facebook friend says on her status, we all have something we need and/or want to change! Instead of being negative, encourage positive change!
Remember we are all fighting battles. Let them (well us) have the clean slate… whenever that starts!
2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.