The Tribune

By REV ANGELA PALACIOUS

THE old year has come to an end and the new year is just around the corner. Within a few hours 2014 will be past and 2015 will have arrived.

There is no time to waste on moaning about how you failed, what you did not accomplish and the terrible mistakes you made. Be sorry, repent and plan to let God salvage the situation for you.

OK, you messed up big time and you will have to suffer the consequences but let it be the last time you have to go through all of this.

If you have an addiction, get help in this new year. Call for the appointment and leave a message if the office is closed. Decide when you wish to see the doctor and make it happen. Sure, you needed to have this a long time ago. Yes, so much would have been different if you had done this sooner. It is what it is. Do it now, this is the moment to seize. Console yourself with the fact that better late than never.

You may have been dating for years and know that it is time to seal the deal. You may have been “shacking up” for longer than your can remember and you have been promising yourself and the children that you want to get married. Now is the time to get pre-marital counselling and stop procrastinating. Do what is right and pleasing in God’s sight. It is better late than never.

The debts keep piling up because of your impulse spending, secret loans, foolish investments, gambling habit, or “being nice and can’t say no”. Clean up your financial act this year. It is not only about VAT, it is about you taking responsibility for yourself as an adult and changing your ways. You have threatened the security of your whole family for too long. By the grace of God, take a mature stand to be self-disciplined. Before it gets worse, it is better late than never.

Do you need to improve your skills, or go back to school, or volunteer your time or stop working so hard and find a better balance? Do you curse or watch pornography, or bully others? Do you lie, cheat, scheme, steal or anything else that undermines relationships at home, school or work? What are you waiting for when you know that you need to make a change now? It is never too late to do the right thing, better late than never.

Are you supposed to be a committed Christian and you cannot be bothered to put God first yet? Have you been dragging your feet about embracing the Christian faith when you know in your heart that God has been calling you to accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord? Now is the day of salvation because you just may wait until it is a day too late. Better late than never, but why miss out on the best free gift ever by being late?

This is a new year. It offers a fresh start and a new beginning. Leave the past behind if you have learnt its lessons, and move on. Make up (restitution) where you need to, but ask God to set you free from the burden of guilt and shame. Be honest with yourself but love yourself all the same. You are God’s beloved and there is always hope for the future. Take one day at a time, living with the Lord in the present moment. It is truly better late than never. Have a blessed new year.