God’s Plan for the New Year
By Head of School Michael Dewey
Resolutions. The word resonates with so many people ahead of the new year. It is something we want to do with great intention. But we somehow fall short of some of the goals we set for ourselves because life just happens. And now that we are several weeks into the new year, it is likely that many of those resolutions have already been abandoned. A few years ago, my wife and I decided to change our view on resolutions based on I Thessalonians1:11, “…that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power.” All these years, we had been making resolutions for ourselves, rather than for the Lord. We had to change our mindset and begin praying before the start of the new year and asking the Lord, “What do you want for the new year? Show us your way. Teach us to learn your heart. Help us focus our minds on you through what we see and hear, and to discern your calling for our lives.”
With this mindset, my wife recently shared with me the resolution God was laying on her heart. As a Christian school seeking to partner with Christian families, I thought I would let her share it with the entire Eagle community. May it encourage you as much as it has encouraged me.
Lord, what do you want for the new year?
When I began to ask the Lord about the new year, I had to wait and see what He would show me. At Christmas, I had a conversation with a friend about upbringing. It was a sad story about one of their parents, who basically never wanted children. Throughout the years in their home, the tone was an emotionally abusive one. As children, they strived to make this one parent happy, but to no avail. Fast-forward to the present, where the parent is in their nineties, and the children are grown, with families of their own. The same message persists today, with the exact same words spoken as years ago. My friend stated, “I am ready to cut ties with this parent because I simply cannot endure this any longer in my own home.” My heart was broken for my friend. But the only words I could share were, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ My friend looked at me for a few seconds and asked how they could do that with all the baggage this situation had brought. I reminded them that even though their single parent treated them harshly, my friend would go and clean their parents’ home, invite them to share meals, and spend time with them during family holidays. My friend was doing exactly what Jesus stated in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me… And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” This parent, despite everything, needed to be honored not for who they are, but for choosing life for their children. This soul is still lost in the world, carrying baggage from their own past. But my friend’s love toward their parent shows how much Jesus loves them and wants to impart eternal life to their own heart.
So, what did the Lord show me that He wanted for the new year?
When I began to ask the Lord about the new year, I had to wait and see what He would show me. At Christmas, I had a conversation with a friend about upbringing. It was a sad story about one of their parents, who basically never wanted children. Throughout the years in their home, the tone was an emotionally abusive one. As children, they strived to make this one parent happy, but to no avail. Fast-forward to the present, where the parent is in their nineties, and the children are grown, with families of their own. The same message persists today, with the exact same words spoken as years ago. My friend stated, “I am ready to cut ties with this parent because I simply cannot endure this any longer in my own home.” My heart was broken for my friend. But the only words I could share were, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ My friend looked at me for a few seconds and asked how they could do that with all the baggage this situation had brought. I reminded them that even though their single parent treated them harshly, my friend would go and clean their parents’ home, invite them to share meals, and spend time with them during family holidays. My friend was doing exactly what Jesus stated in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me… And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” This parent, despite everything, needed to be honored not for who they are, but for choosing life for their children. This soul is still lost in the world, carrying baggage from their own past. But my friend’s love toward their parent shows how much Jesus loves them and wants to impart eternal life to their own heart.
So, what did the Lord show me that He wanted for the new year? Honor your father and your mother. It is a commandment from the Lord in both Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:1-3; “…. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Honor is highly esteemed, regarded, devoted, and revered for one who keeps obligations. Yes, even for someone who gave life to their children, despite their own shortcomings.
As we strive to teach the next generation, our goal is that students wear their parents' names by honoring what each of you is planting in their lives now, and to honor the name of Christ as their heavenly father. With each young person who comes to ECS, we must remember that their character is developed internally and externally from birth to old age. What would you want to establish in your own children so that they will bring honor to you and Christ?
In conclusion, the road to being honored is not one that comes naturally or easily. Rather, it is best developed through every milestone, affliction, joy, and test of adversity wherein our response builds us up to become what Christ wants us to be, as it is written in 2 Thessalonians 1.
Before Mike and I made the commitment to marry almost 30 years ago, one of our prayers was “Lord, help us to live on the cutting edge of where you want us to be, and may the work never be mediocre in your eyes. Let us always seek to honor you in all that we have and in all that we do.” The lyrics of the song, “If Ever I Forget,” became an anthem for this prayer:
So, if ever I forget
The One who nailed my shame to a tree
Who took my place when no one else believed
You were there for me
If ever I forget
The One who gave this heart a second chance
The One who holds my future in His hands
Where will I be
If ever I forget
You may ask, “What was it in your own parents' lives that brought them honor?” I have to say that it was not about having the honors that the world provides, but through my father’s final words before he was taken home to heaven, in which he said, “Marry a Christian man and do not let my mistakes be yours.” It was also through what I discovered in the tattered pages of my mother’s Bible, which she held in her hands the day she was suddenly taken to eternity. In addition to the many highlighted scriptures and reflective notes, there were small written prayers asking God for my father’s salvation, and prayers for the lives of her children—that we would live out our lives for God’s glory. I honor them for this legacy of love, and for as well as their humility and love in their desire to give us Christ at all costs, despite what they believed were their inadequacies.
I leave you again with these words, “Lord, what do you want for the new year?”