A Brand New Year
Author: The Rev. Dr. David Bridges, Priest
December 28, 2021
We are about to embark on a brand
new year. It includes 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months, or 8,760 hours. If you
work five days a week, you will work about 260 days next year. If you work
eight hours a day, you will work about 2,080 hours next year.
According to the old standard (8
hours work + 8 hours personal + 8 hours sleep = 24 hours), you will also have
2,080 hours of personal time, and 2,080 hours to sleep. If you resolve to
attend church every Sunday, you will only spend about 104 hours in church next
year.
If you resolve to practice daily
prayer and reflection (15 minutes per day, M-F), you will spend about 65 hours on
it next year. That means if you practice daily prayer and weekly
worship, you will only be investing about 169 hours out of the 2,080 you have
for personal time.
What will you get from your time if
you follow these assumptions? Your work time will hopefully provide you with
the funds needed to pay your bills and maintain a stable lifestyle. Your sleep
time will hopefully provide you with necessary refreshment for your mind and
body.
Your personal time will hopefully
allow you to maintain relationships with family and friends, while you enjoy your
favorite activities and hobbies. Of your 2,080 hours of personal time, if you
spend the suggested 169 hours in prayer, study and worship, you will build a
stronger, more confident faith, and your relationships will improve.
For example, if you spend 15 minutes
in prayer and reflection every weekday before going to work, you will be
starting your day with Lord Christ first in your mind. You will be better
prepared for the stresses and difficulties of the day (unless you enjoy a
totally stress-free life).
If you start each week in church on
Sunday, you will experience the peace of giving-back a couple hours of the gift
of time God has given you. If it seems like too much trouble to get up and go
to church on Sunday (or whatever day you worship), you will miss-out on the
blessings of sanctuary and fellowship.
If you don’t take any of this
advice, another year will fly-by and you will be experiencing the same results
you have gotten in years past. If past years have not been as fulfilling as you
expected, it’s time for a change.
This is your chance to reset your
habits for a better year in 2022. This is your chance to throw-out the old and
reign-in the new. Be sure to take time, 15-minutes a day and 2-hours a week,
for prayer, study, reflection, and worship. If you keep it up for 30-days, you
will have developed a new habit, and a new you will soon emerge.
Have a happy and productive 2022!
Blessings
and Peace to You All,
Fr. David+
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