"Last call for drinks" the bartender yells.
One more round for the man with hidden dark secrets. One more round for the 2 chatty women whose work drama is now known to the unfortunate ears around them. One more round for the older couple looking for a spark in a dull marriage hung by the last thread.
"Swallow this pill, order these meals, and see that fat burn away! It's that easy!" the TV spokesperson boasts.
One desperate woman with years of a fast food habit searches for her phone. One man looking to win his crushes approval after losing his metabolism can't scratch down the phone number on the screen fast enough.
"Does your hand feel empty? Not for long! Download and start swiping today!" Says an attractive girl on your phone screen.
One horny college student is drawn in to download for hopes of feeling known. One homely middle aged woman re-downloads the dating app for hopes someone will finally wife her up.
"Did you like all your gifts?" a dad says to his little kids who finish opening presents.
One little girl is excited about her Barbie, but a little glimmer of disappointment is in her eye. One little boy is overwhelmed at his toy castle, but the emptiness now under the tree sets him back.
"Touchdown!" yells the TV announcer.
One fan is screaming with joy that his alma mater won a bowl game. But, yet the TV screen feels unreachable. One fan cheered for the other team and with a win now unreachable, feels a moment of depression.
"3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!" says Ryan Seacrest from Times Square on your TV screen.
What moment from 2023 sticks in your mind? Maybe it was joyous yet in tandem left you longing for more of a richer taste.
Last call for 2023 and last call to reflect upon a year gone by before a new one springs forth. Don't we all long for more of a desired feeling? Maybe it is at the root of humanity that drives beneath all our ventures. Whatever 2023 left undone, will 2024 have the capacity to fulfill it?
If it is left up to me, then it shall be a disappointment that I will forever bear. Yet, the sun rises in the morn and I do not hold it's string. The wind blows at someone's will, that I can assure is not myself. The flower blooms from the soil and I cannot replicate its beauty.
For the One who holds such power with a touch of tenderness, surely He sees our tendency to want more. Can He be enough? It is easy to think that what he gives will not be enough. Or that which He gives will surely run dry. For that is our reality for all else.
But let us not hold our mere human experience to such a incomprehensible light. Let us learn Him anew. Let us invite childlike belief to see a river that doesn't run dry. A garden where flowers never lose its vibrant beauty.
Let us, in awe, lean in to the Father whose tender arms welcome us back again and again. Especially when the new year promises fall short and we inevitably long for more.
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