New Year: More Love

 I am going to begin this year of posts by registering my rejection of, and concerns about,  a New Year's meme that seems to be more popular this year than I've seen in the past –– "New Year: New Me."

It may seem arrogant, but I'm convinced I don't need to become a new me. Now, I'd love to have certain aspects of my physical self to be made new: my lumbar vertebrae and discs, my autonomic and peripheral nerves, and my sinuses, would all be on the top of my list in that order. 

However, I'm really quite content with the rest of me, though far from perfect and with lots of room for improvement, I am, nonetheless, the authentic me. That is: Brian George Felushko, age 64; a Jesus follower; a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend; a biblical student and would-be biblical scholar; and a mostly compassionate member of my neighbourhood, city, country and world. 

I get that there are things that I can change and that I want to see change in my life. Still, I am who I am right now, and I am comfortable with that. I know that I'm not always happy with what I think, say or do, and thus I have regrets. So, yes, I want to grow and change as a human being. However, I believe that such growth and change is only possible when I truly believe that I have intrinsic worth as a child of God (Acts 17:28b–29a), because I have been created in God's image (Genesis 1:26–27).

I don't need to become a new me. I am enough and I have enough. Yep, I'm pretty quirky (as my loving wife reminded me recently), and, worse than that, I tend to rub some people the wrong way and I'm certainly not everyone's favourite human being. But I have Jesus as my focus: he is my teacher, my example and my Lord. He loves me "just as I am," even as he calls me to be more like God. Given the immediate context of Matthew 5:48, what Jesus calls his disciples to do is best explained by Ephesians 5:1–2. Therefore, my daily goal for several years now has been to become an ever more loving person (Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9–10; etc.). 

So, if I were to create a meme for 2021, it would not be "New Year: New Me" but rather "New Year: More Love." And I can do that with who I am right now, even with all the flaws, faults, weaknesses, shortcomings, sins, etc., that are part of my life in the world. 

That is my appeal to each of you. You are enough. You have enough. You are valued. You have worth. Just as you are! So, start with who you are and where you're at and try to focus every day in every relationship and every encounter with your fellow human beings and strive to be more loving (1 Corinthians 13:4–8a). In doing so, we will each be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. Not a new me, but a more loving me. Happy New Year!