New Year, New Heart

A. A woman named Jeanette Case from Erie, PA shared this story in Reader’s Digest.

1. Last year when I called my parents to wish them a happy New Year, my dad answered the phone and I asked him: “Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?”

2. Her dad proudly replied: “To make your mother as happy as I can all year!”

3. When her mom got on the phone, Jeanette asked her: “What’s your resolution, Mom?”

4. Her mom replied: “To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution.”

B. Do you like to make New Year’s resolutions?

1. Here are some common New Year’s resolutions:

a. Save money

b. Eat healthy and exercise

c. Find a better job

d. Travel

e. Read more

f. Stop procrastinating

2. Here are some resolutions with a humorous touch:

a. This year I plan to embrace the chaos and aspire to make my bed at least once a month.

b. This year I plan to practice the fine art of remembering where I left my keys at least twice a week.

c. This year I promise to conquer the pile of unread books by turning them into stylish home decor.

d. This year I aim to become a morning person…starting at noon.

e. This year I plan to try yoga – or at least learn how to touch my toes without toppling over.

f. This year I plan to exercise…my right to eat more chocolate.

g. This year I want to learn to say “no” more often…unless it involves dessert.

C. All in all, I think New Year’s resolutions and goals are a good thing even if we fall short of reaching them.

1. I believe we should be regularly striving to improve our mind, take care of our body, and grow our spiritual strength through the disciplines of prayer and Bible reading and study.

2. But today, I would like to go in a direction that you might find unusual or surprising.

3. I want to focus our attention on our hearts and I want to encourage us to resolve to allow God to soften and shape our hearts.

D. I have been reading a book by Mike Cope who is an editor, professor, preacher and writer.

1. The book is called “Megan’s Secrets – What My Mentally Disabled Daughter Taught Me About Life.”

2. Mike writes that Megan was a beautiful pint-sized girl whose only spoken sentence was, “I’m Megan,” yet the best scholars in the world couldn’t teach what she did in her brief life.

3. Megan died at age ten, but her short life exposed some of the insanities of the world and revealed some life-giving secrets.

E. So far, I’ve read through three of the four secrets.

1. The first secret is: “God is a Heart Specialist.”

2. The second secret is: “Weak is the New Strong.”

3. The third secret is: “Life Together is Our Only Hope.”

4. The fourth secret is: “The End is Not the End.”

F. Let me share a few gems about the first three secrets.

1. Mike opened chapter 1 with a quote from Morris West’s novel “The Clowns of God” in which Christ speaks of a child with down’s syndrome: “I gave this mite a gift I denied to all of you – eternal innocence…She will never offend me, as all of you have done. She will never pervert or destroy the work of my Father’s hands. She is necessary to you. She will evoke the kindness that will keep you human…This little one is my sign to you. Treasure her!”

2. Megan’s favorite song was “The Lord’s Army” a song we are all familiar with.

a. I may never march in the infantry, ride in the calvary, shoot the artillery. I may never fly o’er the enemy, but I’m in the Lord’s army. Yes, Sir!

b. After Megan passed, Mike realized that Megan had been preparing them her whole life with her simple little song.

c. It’s like she had been telling them that there were many things she’d never do, but they shouldn’t worry, because she’s in the Lord’s army.

d. She taught them that God would use their brokenness to His glory.

e. She reminded them that the power is God’s not theirs.

f. She taught them that what really matters has to do with the heart: keeping promises, seeking justice in a brutal world, learning to see those in greatest need, and living with courage, joy and unconditional love.

g. In a world where people look at the external qualities of a person, God is a heart specialist who values those qualities that have little to do with what people look like, how they perform, and how smart they are.

3. For the one year anniversary of Megan’s death, several friends organized a memorial celebration in Megan’s honor.