2008 - and - Possibilities

I was just thinking about - - -

So many well-intentioned individuals view the start of a New Year as an occasion for turning the page and getting off to a new start - a list of resolutions, if you please. We have all done that in terms of personal goals and things we hope can be accomplished in our lives.

Some of my thoughts in terms of possibilities are - - -

In an election year - - -

Is it possible to elect representatives and a President who will embrace all people in our country as those who are "one nation under God"?
Is it possible for our elected officials to set aside partisanship and work together for the better good of our nation and world?
Is it possible for the words of the song: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin in me" to become a reality more immediately?
Is it possible for genuine compassion and mercy toward others to be the practice within our homes, communities, states, and nation - and the impact by extension to other places in our world?
Is it possible for our culture to regain the work ethic and to take pride in accomplishment and quality performance?
Is it possible for integrity and truth to be evidenced in all relationships and transactions?
Is it possible for cynicism to be eradicated and trust in our fellowman to return?

A song taught in Sunday School over the years is:

I am a promise. I am a possibility.
I am a promise with a capital "P".
I am great big bundle of potentiality.
And I am learning to hear God's voice, and
I am trying to make the right choices
I will promise to be anything He wants me to be.
I can go anywhere that He wants me to go.
I can be anything that He wants me to be.
For I'm a great big bundle of Potentiality.

Two other thoughts in contemplation of a New Year - - -

Helen Keller lost her sight at 19 months of age. A reporter once asked Miss Keller, “Is there anything worse than being blind?” “Yes,” she said, “It is to have sight and no vision.”

The other thought pertains to the miracle of the Birth of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Luke 1:34-37, we read this exchange between the Angel Gabriel and The Virgin Mary - - -

Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

Those last words are most significant: "...NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with God." If we are to proceed as "one nation, under God", and if we are willing to commit ourselves to place our TRUST IN GOD - what seems unlikely will be likely; what seems impossible will be possible; that we maintain a vision for what is possible!

Robert F. Kennedy was noted for his inspirational quotes. One that was not original with him but resonated nevertheless was: "The difficult things we do immediately; the impossible things take a while longer."

I wonder what we will do with our possibilities this year! Will we squander them, or will they be stepping stones to success and more meaningful inter-personal relationships?