But the beat goes on. Resolutions fall away too fast and schedules overtake the best-laid plans.

So what now, what next? Time flies and plans fade. In what will feel like a moment, we’ll soon be dragging out those Christmas decorations again (the ones you may be storing about now). Life can be a blur, but we have to pay attention. There’s so much on the line. Sincethis is an election year, we may live in a dramatically altered America in 12 months, depending on the outcome and our involvement. So what should we do with the time God gives us? 

First, it’s important to take a few things off our to-do lists by identifying those things that are out of our control. It’s a seemingly endless parade of “stuff,” including politics and natural and man-made disasters. The planner should be full of items that are workable, not overwhelming. Pray and hand over the giant issues to God.

I don’t mean that the political realm is necessarily out of our circle of influence, like floods and assorted weather mayhem. Our need to be involved in politics is more essential than ever. Still, some aspects of the governmental world move as slowly as glaciers, so it’s crucial to pick the right battles, knowing everything cannot be “fixed” at once… or easily. Patience matters, too.


Disaster and politics
On the disaster front, we cannot predict those that are natural (what the world loves to refer to as “acts of God”). We can prepare for them, planning how to respond, but it’s impossible to, for example, stop earthquakes or wildfires entirely.

Not that some politicians don’t try to promise such things. In 2008 some voters assumed electing their candidate for president would bring down the earth’s temperature and sea levels and cause evil doers around the world to realize how swell we are. Well, not so much.

Political types do know how to create a variety of disasters, too, and some of them can be controlled or eliminated by electing other people. It does take time though, and one election never solves everything.

Then there’s this: With all of the reports of where America is no longer leading the world in a turbulent global economy, there’s one place where we still excel: Bureaucrats. They are all energized and ready to tell us what we can and cannot do, and try to talk us (or force us) into thinking they’re “helping” us. To be positive, I suppose that’s “job creation.”


Ongoing regulation
I have lost count of how many laws and other regulations are going into full effect this month and especially next year, in 2013. There’s enormous deficits, nationalized healthcare (aka “ObamaCare”), the “Bush Tax Cuts” expiration, automatically triggered defense cuts due to the “Super” Committee’s being not so super, and much more.

The food police are standing by to take that fast food sandwich out of your mouth and make you eat sprouts. The Environmental Protection Agency is seemingly out of control, and there’s no shortage of folks who want to tell us why some microscopic gnat in a “vernal pool” (aka a “swamp” or “puddle”) is more important than the life of an unborn child.

Please tell me that someone in Washington, D.C., has a checklist of all the messes ready to hit the fan in January ’13.  Where do they start cleaning up, putting things back together and allowing liberty to again flourish? I want to believe there’s real hope ahead.


Beware apathy
Another risk: Too many of us just don’t pay attention to current events and what’s happening to our freedom. More Americans don’t sense the gravity of put-off problems and “solutions” ready to have impact, nor do they care. (Beware: Apathy leads to paralysis and loss of people power). There are also more citizens dependent on our government than ever, making millions unlikely to want to make the best choices on Election Day, fearing their actions will interrupt their government checks.

Yet do not be discouraged. Plenty of people “get it” and are ready to be involved on every level. Participation in politics is essential and does help to change things for the better. In our form of government, it’s We the People who are in charge (under God). And as it’s often been said, “Remember we are voting for president... not for Savior”.  With everything on the Nation’s platter (and hiding in the storage closets) this is not the year to opt out of the process and stay home because a “perfect candidate” is not running.

Of course the nation’s power centers are filled with experts and analysts who enjoy trying to make non-involvement the norm, cranking up the news to a point where people just simply give up. This year is too important to let that happen.


Thoughtful response
Every New Year also holds personal and family challenges as well.

There’s the good and the bad and occasional situations that can be all-consuming. But like everything else in life, it should not be only about events and circumstances. How we react, how we respond to everything around us makes all the difference in the world.

It seems to me that the best way to handle all that lies ahead in 2012 is to recall how God is still in charge, more powerful than any calamity or elected official. He created the universe, gave us the ability to live each day to the fullest, being on his action team and not just feeling content as a spectator … loving and keeping us through life’s journey.


Larson is a veteran Southern California radio/television personality and media consultant. He can be heard daily in San Diego on KCBQ 1170AM from 6 to 9 a.m., and on KPRZ 1210AM from 2 to 4 p.m. E-mail: mark@marklarson.com.