A kind goodbye to 2024. Many of us can look back on the hard moments of the past year and are glad it’s behind. There was the beautiful Christmas pause, but for some the joy goes out with the tree. A frosty January bleak is hard to face if we bring the bag of yesteryear with us. It’s good to think of a new year as a start-over, but if we didn’t have a calendar it would just be a rollover of the collection of moments that make up our history. And how would we know our age?
So I look back over the past year before heading into the new one to review the why. Why the past 365 . . .
If we could look ahead, we probably wouldn’t want to. But if we look behind and ask what it was all for, we’ll uncover the reason. Hopefully, it wasn’t just to mark time, but to mark the move of God in our lives and what we can glean from it for today.
Yesterday morning on the way to Bible study, the temp on my dash was 19 degrees and 2 degrees in my bones. It would have been so easy not to go. But I had a purpose. My reason ~ nothing has been as influential in my relationship with Jesus than gathering at His feet with other like-hearted girls to study His truth. Nothing. It answers every why.
With age, I’ve experienced a lot of growing and knowing to know that I still have a lot of growing.
Life can weary a soul. We can’t watch the news without an anxious or broken heart for another. I sometimes feel I have so many prayer concerns that it will weigh heaven down – but if we reflect on the faithfulness of God in the past year, we will trust Him with the new one.
Learning the art of a new year reflection (in place of a temporary resolution) comes from gathering what we found from the one before. It’s a keeper. I don’t know about you, but resolutions don’t work for me since they show me who I’m not – I simply can’t keep up with goals I fail to keep.
Clinging and leaning are a better fit for me . . .
If it’s a better fit for you and you’re a word-of-the-year girl, you will agree that clinging to a chosen word or leaning on the strong name of God can breathe a fresh perspective into a lifeless-looking January. I was introduced to a new name of God the other day, Jehovah Tsuri in Psalm 18, Hebrew for the rock. Immovable and permanent, through all ages.
I love you Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.
My God, my rock in whom I take refuge. My shield and my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised and I am saved from my enemies. :1-3
May we allow the power of this Word uphold us when we’re crushed with the weight of the day. And may it be the year of “re” for you — to reflect and remember, to refocus and renew, to refresh and restore. To be re-blessed with a kind welcome to 2025.
Verna
Nothing could be more enlightening for 2025 than having my wife showing major changes in her health since going to therapy, and having lower blood pressure.
Sherman
And for all of us in Precept class, Sherm — a true encouragement as Karen recovers so well.