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I did something that, for me, was not the better part of wisdom. I tried to remember my 2021 New Year’s Resolutions. The one goal I remembered will be carried into next year. The other long forgotten and likely broken ones are written somewhere, but I will let them rest in peace.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”
Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park, was tasked with turning 80,000 acres of bare land into a forest surrounding the Biltmore Estate. Three million trees and plants from all over the world took root in the soil of the Estate, and more than 100 years later, tourists enjoy the scenic reality of Olmsted’s vision.
The Approach Road to the Biltmore mansion is a three-mile winding road and that, too, was part of Olmsted’s plan. He didn’t want a straight path. He wanted guests to enjoy every twist and turn of the ride that took 45 minutes by carriage. With every bend of the road, Olmsted wanted the landscape to be a different experience, like turning the page of a book.
I’m going to think of that whenever life takes a twist. I’m going to trust that God just wants me to appreciate a different view or learn a new lesson and just enjoy the ride. As I approach 2022, I’ve already been praying for clear vision for everyone who reads these words. May the new decade usher in deeper trust that the Grand Architect has planned every detail of the landscape of our lives.

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmmichel@rtconline.com.