Ho Ho Ho! Oops, I’m a little late for that. In all seriousness, our hope and prayer is that your Christmas season was a glorious time of sharing in the blessings of God with your family and church family. With Christmas now in the rear view mirror, so to speak, remembrances and reflections indicate that we were all very busy with all the get-togethers and activities. But we know that we wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, that’s one of the things that makes it Christmas, isn’t it? That said, I hope that we continue to remember though that Jesus is and always will be the reason for the season! And speaking of Christmas, Mrs. Preacher and I want to thank you all for the many expressions of love shown to us during the season. The cards, letters, gifts, and food, were so appreciated and reminded us once again of how much we love and appreciate each of you and know that you love and appreciate us!
What do we say now? Oh! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I was thinking about where we all were 25 years ago about this time. Do you remember? Do you remember a little thing called Y2K? Some of you weren’t even around on December 31, 1999. You were born after that date. After all, 25 years? That’s a quarter of a century. Amazing, isn’t it?
Well, if you weren’t around yet, or if you’ve simply forgotten, let me remind you about Y2K. For months, and in some cases even years, we had been warned that the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999, may be the ruination of our lives. Computers (yes, we had computers back then) were going to simply cease operating and anything digital would basically be fried. We got cash from our bank accounts because the banks would have to shut down. Many of us rushed around trying to prepare in whatever way possible, to get ready. Back home, we had and continue to have an underground well. We’ve been on “county water” for many years. But the well was still there. I even purchased a “well bucket” just in case the county water ceased flowing from the taps. Again, some of you kids probably don’t even know what a “well bucket” is. I’ll let you “google” that one. We tried our best to be ready, just in case, by doing everything we could think of to get ready. But, alas, it all seemed to be a giant waste of effort, time, and money. January 1, 2000 (Y2K) dawned with most everything working exactly as it was working the day before. As the old saying goes, “much ado about nothing”.
Were we wrong in trying to be prepared “just in case”? My answer would be no, not really. There is nothing wrong with being prepared. Even the Boy Scouts believe in being prepared, don’t they? And who knows, the day may come when all those fears about Y2K may come to pass. With the volatility in the world today, one never knows what calamity might bring about such an event.
Old Ben Franklin once said, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Solomon, the wise writer of the book of Proverbs, wrote the following in Chapter 6, verses 6-8, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” So even the ant is prepared for the future. As we enter the new year 2025, let’s be reminded of what the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
May we all continue to seek Him with all our hearts in this new year!