New Year

The holidays are over once again. And, for all that I did to try to hold on to it, the last week of the year has escaped me, as well.

I love the holidays, and I’ve written much about them in the past. I’ve especially shared my thoughts in previous columns about the importance of using the closing days of the year to plan for the months ahead. I have also described my intention to spend the first eight months of the year, in essence, preparing for the last four.

Sermon no. 1816, delivered on Thursday evening, January 1st, 1885, by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”—Revelation 21:5.

I was engaging in a bit of year-end reflection the other day. As usual, since reaching age 50 or so, my reflections quickly began to leap back multiple years, and then decades. And also as usual, my old friend Mr. Regret stopped in for a visit.

Don’t get the wrong idea. This is not a “negative” post. I’ve learned that Mr. Regret can only visit for as long as I let him. His visits might be more frequent now, but they’re shorter.

If we had conversations, they would go sort of like this.

If I had it to do over again….

How many times have we thought that way? If you’re like me, probably more than you would like to count.

If we had it to do over again—with an assurance that we’d do at least as well as we did—what efficient and artful users of time we could become!

Unfortunately, we all know it doesn’t work that way. We are forced to use time … in real time. Moses’ prayer, therefore, carries for us the utmost urgency:

Would you like to have a glorious year in 2022?

The Biblical data regarding the issue of glory says that you can—indeed, it commands that you must!

What is the source of any glory that we hope to obtain? Is it to be found in achievements, investments, promotions, windfalls, victories or some other form of worldly success? Does its inspiration come from the sparks that flare from the fireplace on a cold January afternoon?

Reposted from Rooted Thinking.

2022. What kind of year lies ahead of us? Will we continue living in this dystopian world or will we finally return to normal?