“Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
When we start a New Year we usually determine to make changes in our lives. It is a custom at this time of the year to make New Year’s resolutions. We see it as time to let go of old things and start new ones. Actually, many social customs tend to have this goal. One such custom for a new start is marriage. I am sure you recognized the old phrase above, or at least the first two lines. We hear them often when a woman gets ready for her wedding. It is tradition for her to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Each item in the poem is supposed to represent a good-luck for the bride. "Something old" means that she will still continue to stay connected with her family and past. "Something new" means that she has hope for her new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. “Something blue” has early historical connections where blue was the color to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Before the late 19th century blue was actually the preferred and popular color for a wedding dress. “A silver sixpence” in the bride’s shoe represents wealth and financial security. (The sixpence was a coin minted in Great Britain from 1551 to 1967, made of silver and worth six pennies. Even though they are no longer minted they can still be obtained for use in weddings on the internet!) -Information on the poem obtained from Wikipedia
Man’s custom of using good-luck charms has followed him throughout the ages, but like many other things that man has created or tried (such good-luck charms and New Year’s resolutions) they really have no power. The only thing that has power to make change in man’s life is God’s Word. With good-luck all we can do is hope for things to change. With God’s Word change is promised, and God is always true and faithful to His promises.
“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 NAS
Was 2011 a year of struggling through the wilderness of unemployment and loss for you? God promises to make a way in the wilderness for you! Have you found dryness in your faith as if you are void of emotion going through a dull arid desert? God promises to quench your thirst, not with just a cup of water but with rivers!
“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know. In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains.” Isaiah 42:16a NAS
Did your 2011 end with a feeling of wondering which way your life should go? God has promised to lead and guide you in a way you do not know, making the darkness of wondering what comes next into light before you so you can see His plan for your life! Did you feel as if you were struggling around detours last year with obstacles placed before you again and again? He will make those rough rocky paths you have walked into flat plains so you can move ahead unhindered!
It is time to do something new. Allow God to make a difference in your life. Make it a priority to spend quality time every day reading His Word. Do not make it a resolution. Custom dictates that resolutions are made to be broken. Spend time with Him every day, reading His Word and finding His promises. Then grab hold of every promise and watch the amazing changes He will bring in you in 2012.
“These are the things I will do and I will not leave them undone.” Isaiah 42:16b NAS
See there? You have His Word on it!
