Do you rush toward a new year enthusiastically, peering as far as you can for a sneak peek at the hopeful gifts the year will bring? Or do you sit cross-legged on the midnight border, stretching back to the familiar mix of pain and happiness that the old year has already granted? Does a New Year find you moving toward heartache or toward joy?

The church of my childhood used to hold “watch night” services on December 31 culminating with a mandatory time of solemn prayer as the hour turned to 12:00 AM. It may be that the organizers thought they were inviting the Holy Spirit to join the celebration as they embraced the unsoiled promise of a new year. But if that was their purpose it was lost on me. Too many apocalyptic sermons had taught me that the future was a dreadful place, better avoided than encountered. I was already trembling as planet earth took her first tentative steps into uncharted territory. Fervent prayers said with clutched hands and squinted eyes confirmed for me the need to fortify against disaster while the rest of the world marked the occasion with noise makers and cheers.

Moving Beyond Apprehension

But this year, even the most carefree revelers I know seem at least reluctant to welcome 2024. In a world that was already pinballing between bitterness, despair and inattention, the addition of contentious politics and escalating conflicts seems to be more than any year could overcome.

And yet, this year I want to look to the New Year as the gift it is. A package of 366 days of unsoiled promise. As we unwrap each of its days, one at a time they will certainly reveal a mix of heartache and joy, but only God knows what the future holds, and he invites us to bring our best into that future, with the capacity to influence what the days will reveal.

I started writing “Living Faith*Fully” to amplify joy in the shadows of despair, at least for myself and perhaps for others.  

I confess that too often I’ve stood by watching as friends who used to bring a casserole when the other was ill have stopped talking to each other, the relationship broken down over ideological differences. It’s hard to know what to do when misunderstanding, disparaging communication, and cynicism break the bonds of family and friendships. It’s especially hard when these differences divide a faith community. I was thinking about this recently while scrolling social media.

Moving Beyond Vitriol

My feed included a post by one of my favorite authors. He thoughtfully articulated a hopeful pathway toward a better future, bringing insights from his own lived experience and from his spiritual faith. I opened the comment section to leave a word of affirmation. What I saw there shocked and disturbed me. Multiple replies filled the comment section with vitriol. These replies contained nothing of reflective critique. Instead, they used the vilest terms to make an ad hominem attack, not just on the author but on a whole group of people that the commenters included in a class with him. The algorithm of that particular platform appears to have sorted in favor of these vulgar attacks.

In Ephesians 6:12 the apostle Paul reminds us that our struggle to live out our faith is not directed against “flesh and blood” but against “spiritual forces of evil.” While there is always room for difference of opinion and thoughtful dialog, this passage clarifies that our neighbors and friends are not the target of our disdain.

I want to start with three bullet points for my 2024 “To Do” list.

Moving Toward Joy

Happily, I encountered a more helpful message as I scrolled beyond the vitriol. My web surfing uncovered a meme drawn up like a cartoon. One character asked the other what he expects the new year to hold. The other answers, “flowers.” The first inquires, “Why flowers?” to which the other responds, “Because I am planting seeds.”

I want to plant seeds in 2024 that will choke out the weeds of insecurity, anger and fear. Seeds that will nurture bonds of love toward everyone I meet. Truthfully, I am not adequate to the task. The conflicts are too great, and I am susceptible to over reaction, misunderstanding and despair. Thankfully, this effort isn’t contingent on my strength. Acts 1:8 clarifies that the power to disperse God’s love through a toxic world comes from the Holy Spirit.

And so, I’m asking myself whether the New Year finds me moving toward heartache or toward joy? I want to recommit myself to Living Faith*Fully in 2024. I’m not sure whether to call them goals, resolutions, or action steps, but I want to start with three bullet points for my 2024 “To Do” list.

• Pray– Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
• Learn – Consider the rest of the story before I make assumptions.
• Encourage – Share the words of hope that I would want others to share with me.