New Year brings a flurry of talk about resolutions – the pounds we’ll drop, the exercise we’ll embrace and the hobbies we’ll master. Without fail, the turning of the calendar gives us an impetus to try again. It’s a collective opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate.
Why do we love the idea of a ‘do over’? Because we all long to do better, to be better. Despite our failed attempts and unfulfilled longings we keep trying because we were made for something more. As C.S. Lewis surmised, ‘If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.’
One day we will experience the ultimate fresh start. The new heavens and new earth will be unimaginably new: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain’ (Rev. 21:4). In the New Jerusalem, our new home, we will enjoy the presence of God for ever. Never again will we need to wipe the slate clean or turn over a new leaf – we will be fully and finally redeemed, all God’s promises and purposes will be fulfilled and we will be satisfied and reign with Him forever.
