This Chinese New Year, many of us would have encountered superstitious materials at malls and elsewhere that purport to tell us about what we might expect in the year ahead.

These materials offer “advice” for many areas in our lives like romance, relationships, career and finances. Often, they are based on the Chinese zodiac, horoscopes or our birthdates. 

If we are not careful, these sorts of “advice” that we read or hear about might slip into our habits and practices. For instance, some might not sweep the floor during Chinese New Year as it’s believed to be unlucky, while others might purchase certain jewellery and accessories to gather “fortune”.

It’s interesting to explore why many are drawn to such superstitions, and also fascinating to consider what this says about the deeper search in our hearts.

Aiyah, no big deal one

While many people don’t consider themselves superstitious, they often come to take part in such practices as it is a cultural norm or a social thing for them. These practices might have been inherited from our family or learned from our friends.

Take, for example, the fortune-telling segments on TV which have unfortunately long been a festive tradition in my family. While my family generally doesn’t subscribe to fortune-telling, we have all grown up listening to these zodiac predictions whenever they appear on radio or television, especially over the Chinese New Year period.

I know my family often views it as a form of entertainment: jokes are made with relatives that certain zodiac groups won’t be doing that well financially, while certain cousins are jokingly told to find a partner because this is supposed to be their year, romantically speaking.

It wasn’t until much later in life when I realised how these careless remarks made in jest can have a real influence on our thinking. That was when I started making an intentional effort to avoid making such remarks.

Failed relationships, mistakes at work, losses from investments… I’ve seen how people can easily push the blame onto the zodiac or horoscope readings without looking into one’s own responsibility. And on the flip side, it could also seem like one’s success can only be credited to the stars aligning.

If you are looking for assurance for the upcoming year, hear this: there is a God who loves you and holds your future.

And here is the most important thing: Christians must exercise discernment when it comes to superstitions and traditions like these as they are not aligned to our faith and can mar our testimonies. After all, we are not supposed to conform to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

“The future sure, the price it has been paid”

If we look deeper into our hearts, what we are often really longing for is a sense of assurance and security.

We hope to know a little bit more about how we will fare in this upcoming year. We hope that someone or something will warn us about what to look out for. We hope that we can somehow predict where the year is going to lead us. We hope to feel that we are in control of our future.

But so what if these predictions and superstitions turn out to be true? Would you be satisfied that you have succeeded because some stars “aligned”? Would you be happy that you can’t find a partner this year because this isn’t “your year”?

If you are looking for assurance for the upcoming year, hear this: there is a God who loves you and holds your future.

It doesn’t matter if your year is looking good or looking bleak – He is with you every step of the way. He loves you so much that He died for you on the cross, so that you could be with Him for eternity. And He promised that nothing can ever separate you from His love.

No one can guarantee that the road ahead will be a bed of roses. In fact, Jesus has said there will be trouble in this world — but He is in control and He cares for us.

We might not be able to predict the future. But we know who holds our future – Someone who loves us to the point of laying down His life for us.

May that bring you hope, peace and joy as you go through this year.