Now that Christmas has passed, we can start taking down the tree and putting the ornaments away. The gifts that we have received can be analyzed–what to keep and what to return because it’s the wrong size or for other various reasons. Some gifts will be stored in the closet waiting for the right time to be worn or used; others will be regifted later as we’re already thinking about the new year ahead.
There are many reasons why people look ahead especially when greater possibilities are on the horizon. As the year ends and another year begins, excitement builds as all of us wish for a blessed year—a year full of hope and joyful occasions. It doesn’t matter how hard the past year has been, we can always begin anew.
Author Catherine Pulsifer said, “Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.” It is so true that every day is a chance to begin again, and every year is an opportunity to plan for a better future.
In the new year, there’s an atmosphere of new possibilities. Things that we hoped for but never materialized can be imagined again. Taking vacations, visiting families and friends, and having great experiences are all possibilities in the new year ahead.
I like what novelist Arnold Bennett said about life: “The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.”
As you look forward to what you will do in the new year, plan to seek God for guidance in everything you seek to accomplish. By doing this, you will have some discernment why God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord…Plans to give you hope and the future.” Humanity’s future is in the hands of the Lord. COVID, sickness, wars, or anything else have no power over the people of God. So, keep the faith as you go forward into 2022 and Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Chaplain Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
