It’s that time of year where we reflect on the end of the current year and think about the new year ahead. Out with the old and in with the new. Some are thinking, Wow, what a great year I had! Others think, It’s been a bad year and I can’t wait for the new year to begin!
As I reflect on the end of the current year, I’m thinking: Where has the time gone? . . . It’s all a blur. . . . Is it really that time again where we will begin to say “Happy New Year”? It just doesn’t seem possible! As I get older, the years seem to go by faster and faster. When I was a child it seemed like an eternity.
Life is always a journey. A journey that has its high peaks and its low valleys. In Romans 15:4 it says, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” The past can either be a good experience or it can be a bad experience. It’s all dependent on one’s perspective. In God’s eyes there is always hope for the future whether the experience was good or bad.
As you reflect upon your own journey – the past, the present, and the future – remember this:
J = Joyful. Be the beacon of light.
O = Obedient. Obey God’s Word, to enjoy a relationship with him.
U = Unity. Unite with one another.
R = Readiness. Ready to accept him and believe in him.
N = Nurturing. Nurture family and others.
E = Encourage each other.
Y = Yielding. Use your heart, mind, and action.
As we close out the current year and clear the slate clean recall 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Happy New Year!
Chi Chi Abando-Norman
Member of the National Detox Development team,
mother of two, lives in Columbia, SC
Detox
