Standing at the gate of a new year

Unless a wheat of grain falls on the ground and dies,

it remains only a single grain;

but if it dies,

it yields a rich harvest."

(John. 12:17)

"For it is from within, from men's hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean."

(Mark. 7:13)

There is so much emphasis, especially at this time of year, on "decluttering" "setting goals" and "making resolutions."

Most of these adjendas centre around the concept of renewal as the new year dawns upon us. But is it an internal renewal we are looking for or a quick sweep around the external framework, of our lives: dusting the cobwebs from the windowframes instead of the residues from the windows. Is the renewal we are seeking focused on the interiers of our being or are we simply trying to gain a little curb appeal? Certainly most of the tasks we set ourselves centre around material objectives. The grand resolutions we proclaim to make are more often than not simply an attempt to control the variables of life by managing risk factors (i.e.) giving up various vices and/or reaffirming or redesigning our identities to fit the life we think we aspire to have. In the modern world we consume the symbols which affilate with the lifestyles we hope to attain and as a result the emphasis seems to be upon owning our lives as opposed to living them. The incentive is not to become better from within but to patent the exteriors with physcological gloss of smoke and mirrors. Beneath the facade this ideology comes down to what we want to have as opposed to what we want to be.

The real business of de-cluttering means striping back the surfaces not applying more whitewash to the walls.

Becoming that which you were intended to be from the beggining is really what it means to be reborn and renewed along with the change from one year to the next.

It is the distractions that lead you away from God, turn your head from the light and your body from the path are what should really be put out with the trash.

Whether this is the television, overtime at work, video games, shopping, unhealthy food, alcohol, drugs or negative people.

The elements that often provide transient, mute, numbing pleasure to our senses while desensitising us to the truths about ourselves and our lives are like non degradable rubbish in an ever deepening landfill.

The sadness being that the landfill is our soul.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the new year: "Give me a light that I may tread saftley into the unknown." And he replied :" Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.