In 2022, resolve to say yes to life’s promise and possibilities

Today is Jan. 2 and, except for yesterday, which was the first of January, this year will never be newer than it is today.

If you are like me, you have three reactions to the new year. First, it is hard to believe that it is a new year and most of your energy will be given to not writing last year’s date on documents and communications.

The second response is, “I just made it through the holidays, and I can’t even think about a new year. The old one is still on my mind.”

And finally — maybe not today, but soon — there will be questions that every new year ought to bring, namely, “What will I do this year? What will I do differently, and how can I be my best this year — or at least a better me than I was last year?”

These are questions that all of us ask at some time or other, in some way or another, and there is perhaps no time that causes us to think about them more than at the start of a new year.

One of my favorite quotes is from Socrates, who said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Self-examination is not just wise and beneficial; it is often needed and necessary.

We have all heard, and quite a few of us know all too well from personal experience, that the majority of New Year’s resolutions seldom live to see the end of the month of January.

And while we are embarrassed by that reality, truth be told, those resolutions were not made to be broken; they were meant, thought about, planned and even prepared for in many cases — and yet, many fell to the ground.

Considering the reality of the challenges of a new year and the often-dismal track record of resolutions made at this time of the year, what can we do to get a fresh start in 2022?

There are three action steps I believe we can take and, in doing them, see some growth, progress, even improvement in our lives.

First, let me suggest that we must embrace the new year. Now I know that there may be some who say, “Well, that is a given. The year is here.” And yes, that is true. But entering a new year and embracing a new year is not the same. One is a matter of clocks and calendars, the other a matter of attitude and actions.

To embrace the new year means that we welcome it, and often that is easier said than done for one simple reason: We are holding on to the past year, or to past years.

The Apostle Paul in Philippians writes, “This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind ... I press on...“

That is the stuff of embracing the new year — opening your arms, your heart, you mind to all it brings and all the new year offers.

Secondly, if you are to truly make the most of 2022, you must empower a new you.

One of the persons we are hardest on is ourselves, and maybe, just maybe, we ought to extend to ourselves what we are told to extend to others and that is grace.

In this new year, empower yourself to dream, dare, do, and then give yourself grace to fail but the power to keep trying and striving.

Finally, we can have our best year — or at least a better year — if we enjoy saying YES.

Someone has said that the hardest word to say is not “no,” though we often think it is, but the hardest word to often say is “yes.”

In this new year, let’s strive to say yes more often. Yes to God and the plans and dreams he has for us, yes to life and all its promise and potential, and yes to our own possibilities.

The year 2022 will have its share of change, challenges and even complexities, and yet it can be fulfilling and even exciting if we open ourselves to these three action steps.

I am excited for you, and I am praying with you.

Bishop Timothy Clarke is the senior pastor of First Church of God on the Southeast Side.

Keeping the Faith is a column featuring the perspectives of a variety of faith leaders from the Columbus area.