We love surprises.  We love sunrises.  We love the fresh new roses with dew drops glistening from their petals.  We love to hold a brand new baby.  With each new idea, word, inspiration and feeling comes the expectation of hope.  New means untarnished, pure, a fresh new start.

The start of 2007 can bring these emotions of expectation and hope.  Our youngest daughter will start university, Bolivia will see a bright new tomorrow, the New Year rains will bring health and crops and green futbol canchas.

The first person who invented the wheel only discovered what God had already designed.  The Lord created things in circles.  The stars and planets are round, they move in orbital circuits, and life, as a result, moves in cycles.  Every 100 years we have a new century; every 365 days a new year; every 24 hours a new day; every 60 minutes a new hour.  God created the potential for new beginnings into the very design of the universe.  And for good reason!  Every hero of the Bible needed new beginnings:  Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit; Moses after he killed the Egyptian; David after his adulterous relationship; Elijah after an emotional breakdown in the desert.  Proverbs 24:16 says, “No matter how often an honest person falls, they always get up again.”

What about you as you face a brand new year?  What about your children?  Are we ending 2006 with emotional hurts?  Have we made mistakes that have damaged relationships or hurt our chances for advancement?  Has the economy damaged our financial security?  Our children have the chance to begin a new class in school with zero deductions or behavior problems.  Let’s give each other a chance to begin brand new.  Let’s forgive past hurts and start fresh in 2007.  May 2007 be a year full of the Lord’s richest blessings.

None of us are perfect as individuals – nor are our marriages perfect.  As we work together to maintain our love and a strong marriage, our homes will be a good environment for growing and happy children.