Reflections on Chinese New Year - Trust & Fret Not

In the Chinese New Year, we clean up the house, clear past debts, have a new start, put on new clothes, visit relatives, say very nice wishes, and put up a good show.
Here are some good things about the New Year:

1. Bring a closure to all outstanding issues.
   In Chinese traditions, all debts are to be cleared. We don't want to start a new year with carried-over debts and burdens. For believers, let us also bring closures to spiritual and emotional issues besides the physical ones. Let go of our bitterness, make sure our forgiveness is complete, and break any strings attached to past bad behaviors by looking and focusing on the next thing - the New Hope. Only when an issue is closed, will it not affect us again.
    
2. New Hope or New Vision.
   Have a positive outlook for the year. Seriously consider the good wishes received. Internalize them. If man wishes to be that consider how your Heavenly Father wanted you to be. The most famous New Year wish among the Chinese is about Prosperity - fa cai 恭喜发财. But prosperity is just abundance in material possessions. Life is much more than material well-being. Another one that I preferred is "Everything according to your wish 万事如意" or simply "May your wishes come true".  Ps 37:4 shows us the secret. "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart". It is important to make sure our wishes are from or agree with God and that will surely bring forth the true blessings. (Prov 10:22) ​​​​​​​​The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
   
   
3. Physical Reinforcement of Inner Attitude.
   Cleaning the house, wearing new dresses and shoes are all a reflection of the inner newness of life. It could work the other way around as well. Putting on new things causes our spirit to be uplifted. You don't have to choose which is better. Do both. Let the newness of the spirit be shown and let the new things reinforce our inner joy and confidence.
    
4. Relationships.
   A great thing about Chinese New Year is the many visitations that re-connect relationships. In the busyness of daily work, we may neglect friends and relatives. It is a good time to take a break and put in the effort to visit them and renew relationships.
    
5. Respect.
   Visitations are done according to 'rank' or 'elderliness' in the family and/or relatives. It is a reminder for us to respect our elders and to appreciate their care and bringing-up of us. Even Elders who did nothing or were even bad to us in our growing up days, paying them respect is a reflection of our character and not of theirs. We are children of God and hence should behave like our Heavenly Father.
   
   
6. Trust and Fret Not - Psalm 37
   In our visits to one another, we will come across those who are of a higher social and economic status than us. There would be storytelling and perhaps gossip. There could be those who gain riches in some short-cut ways and even at our expense. The world tries to tempt us to take shortcuts, stepping on others if needed, to gain riches and success. Those of us who are God honoring in doing the right things seem to be left out in the cold in this big rush for riches. But God gave us Ps 37 to remind and encourage us.

Reflections on Psalm 37
I felt the need to share Psalm 37. It is a relatively long one of 40 verses. But we could just read the first 10 verses. The other are reinforcements.

Fret Not v1,7

We are to fret not or be envious of the apparent success and riches of the short-cut takers.

Why Not? 

1. Them: Because their sins will discover them and they will lose all and be gone. v2,
2. Us: Our anger or envy will cause us to do things that are evil, either to become like them in taking shortcuts, or just go into self-pity and an angry mode, and thereby stopping us from doing the useful and right things.

How to Handle It?

1. We are just to TRUST and continue to do Good (right).v3,5
2. If there be any bending to do, bend not our integrity but bend our desires so that we may just follow that of the Lord. v4
3. Wait patiently for Him to promote us.  v7. See Joy in the Meantime- How to Really Wait
4. We shall live to see their downfall v10

The Promise & Assurance

1. The Lord will truly fulfill these God pleasing desires of ours. v4,5
2. We shall dwell in the land and be fed v3
3. Our true righteous success will shine out brightly. v6
4. We shall inherit the earth v9

Don't be concerned about the seeming success and riches of others; rejoice with the truly successful, and just be concerned with the plan of God for you. Trust in the Lord, commit to Him, do things according to His commandments, focus with confidence on Him, wait wisely, and see the great outcome of God's true blessings in this coming year.