What was new in 2018 is old in 2019. What was new in 2018 might have worked very well but might not work as well in 2019. Such is the reality we are faced with.
To a person who does not see wisdom in change, this might sound foolish. Why change something that has proven its worth in the past?
Studies have shown that people who have a growth mindset are more successful than those who have a fixed mindset. A person who has a growth mindset seeks to keep on changing, discarding old character traits that hinder, habits that bind, mindsets that are not based on the truth. A person who has a fixed mindset believes that his circumstances should change. He does not see any problem in himself, areas where he needs to change.
Jesus discussed this principle in Mt 9:16-17 because He wants us to be open to change. He said that we cannot sew a patch of unshrunk cloth into old cloth because the tear will be worse. No one would pour new wine into old wineskin because the wineskin will burst and the wine will be wasted. He wants to pour new blessings to us, but our old self cannot contain the new.
You cannot apply old methods and expect the same good results as before. But oftentimes we insist on keeping the traditional because we feel more secure in them.
2019 brings new hope. There are things we should discard because we do not want to waste another year. We have to bring in new things- new perspective, new mindset, new habits, so that we can reap the bountiful blessings that the new year brings.
God wants us to be blessed. But sometimes, we insist on the old, resisting the new. If you come to think about it, God wants us to discard the new and bring in the old. It is the old, timeless principles in the bible, that really work, not the new. He wants us to go to him discard useless things that look good and embrace timeless truth.
What are the old things we have to discard? What are the new things that have been knocking at our door but we keep on resisting?
Change is difficult. But with God at the center of our lives, change becomes easier.
Boni de Jesus 