A New Year Reflection

I don't know about you, but I'm the worst when it comes to making and keeping New Year's Resolutions.  I rarely keep them beyond the first week of the New Year - and I used to feel so guilty, too.  So I stopped making New Year's Resolutions.

What I do instead, is a reflection on my life.  I think about the things I accomplished the past year, the things I never got around to doing and of course the things I did that I wished I never did.  Then I think about the future and ask myself, "What do I want my life to look like a year from now?"

I read Psalm 8 and came up with something to help in my reflection this year.

First - Is the recognition of the gift of Creation.  The Universe is creating and recreating itself independent of me.  There is nothing I can do about the rotation of the planet Earth, or the flight path of a comet, or the birth of stars in distant galaxies.    We are dealing with something far greater than ourselves.  Just sit back, look all around and enjoy the show.

Second - According to the writer of the psalm, God has seen to it to place human beings in proximity with the divine beings.  We're up there with the angels and gods of the pantheon.  Not bad company.  And we are given authority to make a difference in the situations we find ourselves in.  We are not victims of fate or providence.  We can set the course of our own destiny.

Third - To know our place in the Universe does not mean we use our power for domination of creation or one another.  Our power rests in the care of creation and one another.  We must distinguish between domination and dominion.  We have an awesome responsibility in the care of life.  When we fail to distinguish between these two we do the Universe and ourselves a disservice.

Something to think about as we enter a new year.  See you in church.