2010 - The year of the Tiger?
By Stephen | 
Be the first
Happy new year… Well not quite. Depending on your time zone and your coordinates, you may have welcomed the new year before us here in Jamaica or maybe you are still anticipating doing it. Whenever you do, HAPPY NEW YEAR and all the best for this year. If you are in China however, you will have to wait a little while longer (1 month and 14 days to be exact) before you can start celebrating.
On February 14, 2010 the people of China will ring in the new year, and this year will be known as the year of the ‘Tiger‘. It will run from February 14, 2010 to February 2, 2011. According to the Chinese zodiac cycle, they have these 12 different creatures that they work with that include the
Rat, Ox, TIGER, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake etc…
This practice stems from the old Chinese tradition of naming the years based on animals and they repeat the names every 12 years.
In the Christian community however, we know that we do not name our years based on animals nor assume that people born in those years take on the characteristics of those animals.
We do not believe that based on some zodiac sign and cycle, we can predict our future and fortune, and the stars, based on how they are aligned can tell us something significant about our destiny. No! We do no such thing.
We do however know that we subject ourselves to one standard of objective truth and that this standard will be what guides and directs our lives as long as we continue to live here on earth. We therefore know that each person does not possess certain characteristics based on the year / month they were born. If we were to follow the Chinese zodiac cycle those who were born in 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and 2010 (Valentine’s Day) would take on the characteristics of the tiger and would be considered “physically powerful, gracious, independent, brave, and extremely bold” since this is how they describe the Tiger.
Made in God’s image
Based on God’s objective standard of truth however we are all
“fearfully and wonderfully made”
We know that God made everyone of us in his image and likeness and therefore it is not a case where some of us are endowed with some special gifts of boldness and bravery while others have different characteristics based on their year of birth. God also assures us from his word that
HIS divine power has given us EVERYTHING, (leaving out nothing), everything we need
for successfully living this life.
For 2010 I am encouraging us all to… Subject ourselves to a higher standard of truth
Let us know and remember at all times, for whatever decision we make, and for whatever we do, that there is a reference and standard that determines truth from error. There is a standard that points us in the way and we should be determined to remember that this is a much higher measure than any man-made standard, it is objective, and contains life-giving truth. This higher unbiased standard of truth is found in God’s word and in God himself. Let us commit to believing what God says and requires of us this year, 2010. Happy new year and all God’s best.