“Time to make the donuts.” This was the tag line in a popular 1980s television commercial for a national donut chain that advertised the freshness of its donuts. Who could forget the dedication of Fred the Baker as he robotically went through his early-morning rounds, mumbling over and over, “Time to make the donuts.” And who couldn’t empathize with him as he finished with hunched shoulders and even less vigor, muttering, “I made the donuts.”
While we can appreciate the humor of the ad, it’s also a reminder of how enslaving it can feel when we find ourselves trapped in any kind of monotonous routine.
As the start of a new year prompts us to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future, we may find ourselves thinking with more urgency about things that haven’t been working in our lives—areas where we feel stuck, unproductive, or stagnant. This is a great first step, but will the turning of a calendar page really bring the transformation and progress our hearts yearn for? It can, if we view the new year from a God-centered perspective.
