"Happy New Year": A Different Perspective

Does January 1st dictate how and when you experience newness?

"Happy New Year!"

Many shared, declared, and received this greeting when the clock struck midnight and throughout the day on January 1, 2025. And, as is typical each year, the excitement will probably linger for a few weeks as people ride the wave and navigate their new resolutions and annual intentions.

Although "Happy New Year" is a jovial greeting and a sincere sentiment for many, I find myself wrestling with the programming, conditioning, social pressures behind it along with the limitations that come with it. The latter being my greatest contemplation at the moment.

Consider this. A new year is an anniversary of sorts. Countless new years occur within time to symbolize and commemorate the closure of some things and opening of others. It can be associated with natural birth (birthdays/born days), salvation (new birth), marriage, ministry and business launches, sobriety, celibacy, personal and professional accomplishments, family and religious traditions and customs, etc. The list is endless.

In the midst of various new years (anniversaries), why do we limit our scope of newness and thereby limit our lives to January 1st? Why do we make it the standard, reigning voice, and executive decision maker above all other new years in our life? We plan elaborate services, celebrations, and parties to usher in January 1st. We set ambitious intentions and make unreasonable resolutions. We make loud and showy social media declarations to put the world on notice all the while trying to convince ourselves things will be completely different this January through December than it was last January through December. But why, especially when we historically fall right back into the same detrimental cycles - rehearsing, rehashing, and reproducing results we so desperately want to extinguish. Of course this isn't true for all. But I'm sure, most of us have experienced this to some degree at some time in our lives.

The culprit? Herd mentality!

The masses celebrate, we do too. The masses begin a "new" regime (prayer and fasting, exercise, savings plan, etc.), we do too. The masses jump off of the bridge, we do too.

Question. If there's no provocation from Holy Spirit to initiate the newness, no paradigm shift to fuel divinely ordained resolutions, no consistent action attached to God's intentions for us, and no sincere investment in our transformation, we've simply put words in the air, wrote them on a page, or posted them on a platform. Nothing different, just a new (Gregorian) year bogged down with old stuff!

Please don't misunderstand my point. I'm not trying to take the wind out of the joyous sails that accompany this time of year. I'm not trying belittle any progress or changes you've made, and I'm certainly not trying to discourage excitement concerning the way ahead. I just sense a strong need for sober examination around newness. Nothing fabricated or duplicated from herd mentality but REAL NEWNESS.

I earnestly pray this Gregorian New Year be one where we decisively dismantle what's been normal but detrimental for us over the past few decades. I also pray it's a year where we authentically renew our minds (Romans 12:2), live by the Spirit (Romans 8:5), and experience newness according to God's eternal intention and timeline. For some, I believe the weight of other new years (see above) will play a significant role in the newness that awaits.

Let's go. We have work to do!

With great expectation,
Andrea M. Renfroe
Transformation Strategist
Life Keys Training Center, CEO

Invite others to our community:
Website: www.lifekeystrainingcenter.com
Email: lifekeystrainingcenter@gmail.com
Phone: (240) 229-6812

"Unlocking, developing, and mobilizing whole people who impact and transform their respective areas of influence."