It’s December 31 – the last day of the year – and most of us anticipate the dawning of a fresh New Year.

But what’s so special about a New Year?

Maybe it is this: once a Wednesday is gone, another pops up seven days later. We’ll see a December every year, and as much as we’ll miss the spring, we do take comfort in the fact that we’ll see another one the next year, and the next, and the one after that.

But it doesn’t work that way with years. Once this calendar year expires, there will never be another one. Days, months, seasons, and holidays will all eventually return, but once this year is over, it’s over.

Maybe that is why we tend to schedule our resolutions for change at the beginning of each New Year, hoping the old habits won’t return much as that particular year won’t return. This approach to changing ourselves is symbolic, of course. Real change requires so much more than a New Year’s resolution. It’s tough to break established habits, but remember that there is hope for the person who sincerely desires change. The power for real change means admitting that we are helpless to do it on our own. Lasting change requires the help of the Lord.

The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. Christ transforms us when we give our lives to Him. He transforms us from the inside out. Now that’s a change for the better. And it’s a change that lasts.

Tomorrow begins a brand new year. Are you ready to let God transform you?