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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: New Year (05/09/05)
Happy New Year!


Are you Hopeful or Fearful?


Happy New Year!


Do you really believe that the new year will be a happy one? Do you have more hopes than fears for the new year? Or is it just the opposite?

As a teenager growing up in the 1960s, I had, generally, positive memories when I thought of New Year’s Day and the beginning of new year.

I remember the excitement of going to my aunt Blanche’s house in Fort Worth, Texas to watch the New Year’s Day parades and bowl games on her color TV set. As a carefree teenager in the sixties, I was more hopeful than fearful of what the new year would bring. I was hopeful that, just maybe, I may get to drive the family car this spring, as well as finally get that cute red-headed boy in my homeroom to notice me.

Today’s teenagers would probably say they would be more fearful of what a new year would bring. After all, the kids of today have lived through the tragedy 9-11. They’ve also seen what happened to Colorado kids, just like them, when on April 20, 1999, twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School were fatally gunned down by fellow students who later took their own lives. There have been probably more than a dozen school shootings since Columbine.

Besides, living in a world where they’re not sure if they’re safe, even in their own schools, many teens aren’t even sure if their families will still be together this time next year, as statistics tell us that 4% (twice as many families as in the sixties) end in divorce. Fearful of their safety and their home life remaining in tact, today’s teens find that life is much more stressful than the days of Wally and Beaver Cleaver.

However, for the young person who has taken Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior, a new year can be greeted with hope and not dreaded with fear.

Perhaps you’re a young person who’s attended church all your life and believe that Jesus is God’s son and that he died on the cross. However, just as standing in a garage, doesn’t make you a car, sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian.

Young person, have you taken Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior?

If you haven’t, what a perfect opportunity the start of a new year offers to begin your new life in Christ. Simple admit to Jesus that you are a sinner, that you are truly sorry for your sins and that you need Him to be your Savior and Lord. Humbly ask Him to come into your life and take control of your life.

If this is the desire of your heart, please pray the following prayer.

“Lord Jesus. I confess that I am a sinner. I am truly sorry for all my sins and ask you to forgive me. I want you to take control of life. Please come into my heart and be Savior and Lord of my life.”

If you prayed this prayer, and meant it with all your heart, then you have nothing to fear. Please don’t misunderstand me. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that you won’t have problems. On the contrary, you may have more problems. But with Jesus at the center of your life, you’ll have no fear of the future.

Your Lord Jesus Christ is in total control of every single event in your life. He knows what the New Year holds for you and has only the best planned for you. As God’s Word assures us in Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.…”

With God’s Word hidden in your heart, you can be confident of your future, regardless of what happens this new year, because you know “the end of the book”. We may not know what this next year holds for us. However, we can be confident that we’re closer now to the return of our Lord and Savior and that He’s already conquered the evil one at Calvary’s Cross more than 2,000 years ago.

With Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can be truly hopeful and not fearful.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Phyllis Inniss 
05/19/05
A good New Year message not only for the young but for the older folks as well.
Verna Cole Mitchell 
07/04/07
Your creative writing has taken giant steps forward, but this article has lots of truth nuggets in it. I could gladly take the teen prayer and give it to my teen relatives and friends.
Jacquelyn Horne
07/04/07
For a first entry, this has a lot of encouragement.
Rita Garcia
07/05/07
Lots and lots of food for thought, a great first entry!! Thanks for sharing it!!
Joanne Sher 
07/05/07
Definitely in the box - but a very nice box, I must say. :) I can definitely tell you have grown as a writer, but I will also say that this is wonderfully presented. You certainly met your goal when you wrote it, my friend :)
Jacquelyn Horne
07/05/07
This is a great encouragement. Good devotional piece.
Brenda Buikema
07/08/07
What wonderful things to think about. Thanks for sharing this!