Michel: God’s faithfulness of the past is a taste of good things ahead

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, December 28, 2022

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It’s almost time to turn the page. Very little is written in my 2023 planner. It’s clean and fresh – much like the year it will chronicle. The new year is a huge gift which will slowly reveal itself.

While its emptiness fills me with hope, it’s also a little intimidating, for it is up to me to choose where I will spend my time and what I will allow to consume my energy, emotions, and even my finances.

What are my New Year’s resolutions? I haven’t yet decided. For just another moment, I will think back on 2022 – the best and the worst of it – and leave it there.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, “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.”

As I step into the future with hope, I’m asking myself a few questions which I believe will set my course for the new year.

Which Bible reading plan will I follow?

Which activities/hobbies should I start, which should stop, which should continue?

Which books will I read?

While I marvel at God’s faithfulness in the past, I know it is just a taste of the good things He has in store for all of us. May 2023 be filled with His tender mercies, His richest blessings, and an ever-increasing presence of His Holy Spirit.

 

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