On this day in 1907, for the first time a ball dropped at Times Square to signal the new year.

This is the last day of the year—New Year’s Eve. Are you going to a party? Do you plan to stay up late to watch the ball drop and ring in a new year?

We celebrate this night because we made it through another fifty-two weeks. It’s the end! But it’s also the beginning. So we think of starting fresh and we make resolutions.

It’s good to look ahead and set goals for the next 12[TMD2] months. But this day also provides a great opportunity to look in the rearview mirror, to see where we’ve come from. We need to know where we’ve been before deciding on where to go.

The Bible tells of the people of God reflecting on all that God had done for them in the past. Deuteronomy 32:7 says: “Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.” Remembering God’s great works would give the people hope for the future. And they would keep in mind the lessons learned back then. Past experiences would help guide their future actions.

We can also learn from what others went through. That truth is emphasized in the verse for today in which Paul explains the importance of reading the Bible. Then he says: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

So take a few minutes to reflect on this past year. What victories and defeats did you experience? What lessons did you learn from those events? In what ways did you see God work in your life and in your family?

Then thank God for being with you each step of the journey.

All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close (1 Corinthians 10:11).

To Do

Ask each family member what he or she considers to be the highlight of the past year. Also ask what lessons were learned from those experiences.

Also on this day

This is Make Up Your Mind Day.

This is also Unlucky Day.

1999—Sarah Knauss died at the age of 119 years. Born on September 24, 1880, she was the world’s oldest person.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.