January 29,
2025
Happy New Year—The Year of the Snake!
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1: 1-3
2 Corinthians 5:17 Contemporary English
Version
17 Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is
forgotten, and everything is new.
Happy New Year!
Long ago I found out that making new resolutions—New Year or
any other time—can be a fruitless endeavor. However, it does happen that I make
some, anyway.
In 2021 with Sylvia’s cooperation and encouragement, I made
the resolution that I would eat twice daily rather than three times. Sylvia
jumped at it—that would be three-hundred and sixty-five fewer meals she would
have to make!
Years ago, I had found that if I didn’t have something for
supper, I would wake up freezing from low blood sugar. It didn’t matter how
many clothes and bedclothes I had on—I couldn’t get warm. Mom used to have the
same problem. She would get up and eat a piece of chocolate, if she had any,
and a few nuts. The chocolate elicited the quickest response from her shivering
body; the nut provided a lasting warmth. I have found that the same emergency
snack does wonders for my freezing frame—if I can manage to shed my covers and
go into the kitchen and fetch the snack.
I suggested we eat at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. That should
be late enough to prevent the low blood sugar troubles. I envisioned us sitting
down at table precisely at ten and four sharp. Sylvia agreed, imagining that
she would start meal preparations around ten and four. The net result is often
that I go into the kitchen at the stated times and offer to make potato salad
or Spanish rice or mac-and-cheese. She used to groan at my suggestion. Now she
encourages me—it’s something she doesn’t have to decide on.
We have managed to adhere to the 2-meals-per-day regimen
very well. We don’t do it religiously, of course. Since spending some time this
summer at Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center, we are eating a vegan menu, too. We
have also maintained this successfully, but also not religiously. Net result is
I am 21 pounds lighter now than I was on New Year’s last year!
What is your New Year's Resolution? With God's and my wife's help we made this one stick. Make one for yourself, pray about it, and get someone else to help you. You can make yours stick, too.
Lord, this year teach me to love as You do.
[1]
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