Happy New Year

   If I take the time to look back when December 31, 2014 rolls around, what will I see?

   Better yet, what will I want to see? What will have happened in that year that will show that I might have caught the gist of what the year was supposed to be about?

   I guess that leads to what I want for 2014 as I look forward in time. I surely do not know what will happen, in the world, in my own area, or even in my own life and the lives of those that I love and care for.

   But I can take a moment this morning, to think about what I wish it might look like, maybe not the events, but what can be considered success as I look at my own life and how it is lived.

   The most important thing would be relationships, with God first of all, with my family and with others that are already in my life, or those that will enter it in 2014. Everything else will stem from those personal ties and the interaction between them this coming year.

   I want to look back and see that I have spent time with God in this year. Not only spent the time, but found it to be meaningful, time spent, not just begrudgingly, not just as a routine to be followed, but genuine time leading to a closer relationship with The Heavenly Father and a certain intimacy that springs from obedience and friendship. That is what I long for as I sit each morning.

   I want to be in His will, because I know it is the place of blessing for me and all that I touch. I want to pray "Thy Will Be Done" and mean it, not just mouth the words. All else springs from the understanding of that small but significant phrase.

   Relationships within my family are very important. My wife, my kids, and my grand kids are the loves of my life, and I want to be here for them in any way they need me. I don't want to think anything that I do for any of them to be considered a sacrifice on my part, but simply my love for them showing through.

   Then there are all those others out there that will be placed in my life this coming year. I want to look back and see that I have treated them with respect, that I have placed their needs ahead of my wants, and that those acts on my part have brought a measure of joy, both to them and to me. I would like to take care of any responsibilities that are a part of my life, in such a way as to bless others and put them ahead of myself.

   When I wish someone a "Happy New Year", these are things that I would like to be able to see as this year passes in the lives of all that I know or will know this year.

   The one thing that I can pray for in regards to all of this, is for God to give me the strength to get myself out of the way, and let Him do His work in my life, and, through that, to bless all those others that live this coming year with me.

   Looking back from December 31, 2014, I want to be able to say that it has indeed been

   A Happy Year, indeed.