As the New Year arrives filled with great promise and possibilities, we can seek to make the most of it. However, we often hold on to the same worries, regrets and emotional pains that wear us down and prevent us from moving forward. But each day, each year is a gift from God, allowing us to experience the freshness of His grace and mercy, to release burdens and hurts of the past, to take a deep breath and renew our vision for the future.
We can choose to embrace the New Year with excitement and optimism, not despair and disillusion. Author and TV evangelist, Robert Schuler, wrote, “Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” These are powerful words to live by each and every day. We can work towards what we want in life without letting regrets and misfortunes stop us.
Corrie Ten Boom, who was sentenced to a concentration camp during WWII, said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” With our faith in God, we can be excited and enthusiastic about this coming year—He will guide our steps. What the prophet, Jeremiah, said to those who were exiled and facing an unknown future, is just as true today, “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, say the Lord, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Lord, please help us to embrace the New Year with hope and faith; grant us peace and well-being.
