The week in between..

Today is the day after Christmas, the first of six days that include New Year”s Eve. It is an “in-between” time of the year, in which we await the coming of the new year, in this case 2012.
The Houston Chronicle says today, “For retailers the two busiest days of the year are often Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving; and Super Saturday, the Saturday a week before Christmas. This year there may be a third monster day – ‘Mighty Monday’ you could call it.” Some are expecting it to be the third biggest shopping day of the season. Monday is a holiday for many people, leaving them free to shop. Some retailers may be doing a lot of special promotions to cut down their inventory at the end of the year. In addition stores are already crowded as people return merchandise, redeem gift cards and buy seasonal things such as gift wrap paper, etc. that go on sale every year.
This year’s lull just before the new year gives additional impetus to thoughts about the future, because of rampant predictions that next December will bring the end of the world, or at least a major disaster that affects the world. Personally, I never give such predictions a second thought because I believe what the Bible says about the future, that God is ultimately in control and I can trust him to do everything well. As human beings we are perennially curious about the future, but much of what people say about it is either misinterpretation of Biblical prophecy or purely human speculation based on isolated verses of the Bible that don’t necessarily say what some people say they say.
If I use this week to think about 2012, I believe I should dwell on the positive as much as possible, thanking the Lord for each day as it comes, and dedicating it to him. I should know how to do that by now; after all, this is the first new year I’ve faced as an 80-year-old. Please join me in practicing this week the prayer of Psalms 19:14 NASB, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”