Unfortunately, it is not hard to see that the culture today is largely devoid of God. Whether it be in our schools, media, our extended family expectations, business, our jobs, sports, the daily tasks of life – the culture is becoming more devoid of God every day. While there is always hope, we still need to understand […]
Well - it is here - the new year has begun! Pour the champagne, and insert your best happy dance! I don’t know about you, but I have always loved the start of a new year, even as a kid. There was always something fun and exciting - almost magical - about ringing in the new year. Maybe it was hope.
With its coming the new year brings a new beginning - a wrapping up of the things of the past and the expectant anticipation of good things to come. There is new potential and the possibilities are endless, like an open road at the start of a new journey.
In one way or another, this past year all of us experienced something like we never had before. Maybe your past year was exceptionally hard, maybe it was surprisingly great, but my question for you is this: As you begin this new year, where do you want your journey to lead you?
Just as when planning for a trip, you prepare for it and have a specific destination in mind, so too can you prepare for and have a specific destination in mind for this next year. To begin well we start with the end in mind.
First of all - what is your final destination? Where do you want to be at the end of this new year? What areas of your life do you want to have fostered? As Gandalf said in the great classic, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Don’t be afraid to name your hopes and dreams for the year. God is inviting you to dream with Him, to place your trust in His goodness over your life - and to step out in hope and faith. Will there be detours? Probably. Will there be roadblocks? Most likely. Will God be with you every step of the way to give you strength for the journey? Absolutely. Our God is a faithful God who does not abandon us.
“...They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
As you cheers to the new year and begin a new adventure, enjoy the journey, for, even in the detours, it is beautiful. Even in the roadblocks, it is good. And - be bold - knowing that your Heavenly Father is with you. Be bold in your commitment to growth. Be persistent in your striving for virtue. Be courageous in your choosing to hope in God’s Providence for the journey.
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
