On this beautiful Sunday morning (20th Dec, 2015), I woke up later than normal for someone who planned to attend the first service, perhaps due to the early morning harmattan. And funny enough, the devil being “ajoo-nwata” (bad child) resumed his duties early by first blocking my ears to alarms, instigating the pressing iron to burn my choice shirt and finally when I got to church, it dawned on me that left my wallet behind. But when it was time to give offerings, I guess you know what I did.
The man of God, a very blunt fellow, started out with what seemed like a disjointed gist about happenings in the political and socio-economic activities in Nigeria and then veered into what jolted me to reality. Yes, I was jolted back to being both spiritually and physically present in the service after my mind had travelled out with his earlier gist. As he continued, it dawned on me that some of us (if not most) inadvertently act on default when it comes to New Year Resolutions and making list of what we hope to achieve in the coming year. Making a list of all that you have achieved in the under review with a thankful heart, is a precursor to whatever list you would make in the New Year. So it’s very okay to say we are not qualified to build hopes on what to accomplish in the coming year and adopting set rules (resolutions) without acknowledging what we have achieved and giving thanks to God.
If up till now you still draw breath and you are reading this, a little exercise would help. First, take out a sheet of paper and list all the things you accomplished this year – major achievements, minor achievements, work in progress, health, marriage, career, dangers averted, accidents escaped even for those that never occurred, etc. If you can be meticulous with your list and painstakingly task your brain to go down memory lane just to remember all you can no matter how little, then you are as good to make your new list for the New Year.
In conclusion, no matter what have happened to you in the year, give thanks. It takes the living to actually his/her year. Remember, you are only qualified to make that list after you have given thanks and you are qualified to give thanks simply because you are alive today.
“At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father” – Ephesians 5:20 (Amp).
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