By Rex Alphin
Columnist

“I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

I suggest to you that somewhere, buried down between the left and right ventricle, even deeper than the tricuspid valve, resides in each of our hearts a kernel of pure, intense yearning for something new. It is as if we were made for something else, something this world cannot fully and ultimately satisfy.

Perhaps the trees are whispering such a message when they spring from their winter dormancy and explode upon the scene with their all their vibrancy. Could they not be saying, “See? We start afresh. Life can be new again.”

Perhaps the miracle of birth says, “Look! A whole new beginning. A new start is possible. Here is a sample of what might be.”

Perhaps our taste buds discover a new flavor and say, “See? There are still things you do not know, have not experienced, not enjoyed, not yet savored.”

Perhaps the stars are singing in low unison, “What you see of us is but a speck, a crumb, a mere morsel of what truly is. We are only here to give you a glimpse.”

Perhaps even the daily ascent of the sun, as it pokes its rounded head above the eastern horizon says, “See? There is such a thing as ‘new.’ Am I not even now giving you a new day?”

It is no wonder our calendar itself is engineered with culmination and rejuvenation. By its very blueprint, it closes out a segment of time and beckons our focus in a new direction.

And thus, we are brought to a “new” year. It is no mistake, my friend. That yearning inside you for all things new is as real as the mockingbird’s call, as true as the North Star, as strong as the noonday sun. For thus were you made. For such were you designed.

When that sun rises this Jan. 1, take a good look. Let it sink into your soul and wrap its beams of light around your heart. It is but a foretaste of that day when all things will be made new.