On Life 58 – Let’s Start Now – December 27, 2014

   The new year will start within a few days. Maybe the previous year brought about some happiness or some pain. Yet, it will pass like all time. We will not stop, except at the important stages we go through.

   As a year ends and another starts, I’d like to congratulate you, wishing Egypt, her people, the Arab countries, and the whole world all happiness and prosperity. With this start, I’d tackle some points which we went through in our long series of articles.

   We started our articles by tackling the importance of life and the goals which man plans to achieve through it, and that a life without a goal is an absurd path which leads to the nowhere. As the year ends, I urge you to think about your goals. As a new year starts, I remind you that a life without goals is a tree with no fruit.

   Likewise, we spoke of the value and influence of your life when you offer others happiness. Thus, I invite you to think of whoever you helped with your time, effort, experience, work, or money. Think of those who you helped overcome their hardships or gave hope. God granted you 365 days. What have you given those you encountered? Whatever you did is your real treasure of this year. What about your life and the potential God has granted you? Have you invested your talents to open new gates which you thought could not be opened? Have you climbed the ladder of failure to the summit of success, composed a joyful tune with pain melodies, or has despair ruined your life and you surrendered to your back luck?

   You need to know, throughout the previous year, how your life went and how far you reached. You need to know if you took a path that leads to the end you desired of if you wasted your precious time. If you were able to invest your time and improve, then plan the new year to grow more. If you stumbled on the way, do not grieve: for you did learn and gain experience that will help you develop. If you did invest your time, start now by encouraging yourself, saying, “to be made new”. Exert double your effort and work more in order to compensate what you missed. God has granted you a new year; do not waste it: for one day you will be judged for it. Many happy returns!

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center