The Object of a New Year
“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.”
~ G. K. Chesterton
“There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer and the youngest in the fall.
When they had all gone and returned, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said that it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful it as the most graceful things he’d ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. They began to argue and fight amongst themselves over who was right and who was wrong.
Then the man explained to his sons that none of them were wrong, yet none were right either because they had each only seen one season of the tree’s life. He told them you cannot judge a tree or a person by only one season. That the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy and love that comes from that life can only be measured when all the seasons are up.”
How can any of us judge another when we only see one aspect of that person? When we only see some of what is there but not all of it? How can we judge our own selves as a success or failure when all the seasons have not yet played themselves out in our lives?
If we give up when it’s winter, we will miss the promise of spring, the beauty of summer and the fulfillment of fall.
“Don’t ever let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don’t judge life by one difficult season. We must persevere through the difficult patches for better times are sure to come.
Live simply
Love generously
Care deeply
Speak kindly”
Trust that everything that enters your life is there to support you to evolve spiritually.
“Happiness keeps you sweet
Trials keep you strong
Sorrows keep you human
Failures keep you humble
Success keeps you growing”
As you embark on a New Year, may you create a new soul with the lessons you have learned and a hope for dreams yet to be fulfilled. And may it be a happy one.
Portions of this article were written by an unknown author.
