Remember 2021? Too many of us hoped that we could leave the pandemic behind by simply turning the calendar to a New Year. Unfortunately leaving behind the pain of the past isn’t as easy as opening a new page in a planner.
But the dawn of a New Year can be a good reminder to intentionally bring some things along and leave others behind. Faith, fully lived, invites us to review last year’s troubles in God’s presence.
Maybe your 2022 was a little like mine. I started the year recovering from illness and though my health is much improved, I’m still seeing my doctor more than I wish I were. But beyond health concerns, the year was a hard one personally and professionally. Leadership transitions, budget constraints and shifting priorities took their toll on the work I love to do. I’ve been trying to weave together sturdy cords of relationship, but too many connections are held by tattered threads.
What’s your story of 2022? Did you turn to a trusted friend only to be misunderstood, or perhaps worse, overlooked without a hearing? Does the specter of illness or loss infest even the best memories of the year? Perhaps the daily task of juggling new COVID variants, inflation, work stress, and the daily news has displaced the joy of life with a “white-knuckling” kind of responsibility.
Whatever your experience, the burdens of the past will turn into “stow aways” as we round the corner to a new year unless we pause and sort the “treasures” from the “trash”. Let’s look at three tools to help us do that.
Acknowledge Your Experience
Whatever the old year brought, it has become part of your history. Take time to name it. What challenged you, what gave you hope? As you reflect on your experience, resist the urge to diminish it, exaggerate it, or compare it. It doesn’t matter if someone else would see it differently. Of course, they would. This is your experience. Your response is uniquely yours. Clarifying your history gives you the power to decide how you will bring it into the future.
Ask For Help
Do hardships blind you to life’s joy and beauty? Or do you underestimate the negative impact of a heartache? In either case, seeking the support of a listening friend, caring family member, or professional counselor can make all the difference. Their listening ears will ensure we don’t dismiss difficulties too quickly or magnify them too much. Gathering meaning, knowing ourselves better, and working our way through to forgiveness and healing are all more likely to occur in the company of others.
It’s important to remember that, even at their best, these guides can only take us so far. When others fail, or aren’t available at all, we are surrounded by God’s never-ending presence. The beginning of the year is the right time to ask him to help sort out the lessons to learn and the wounds to heal.
Take a Step
Make a “Do it now/Do it later” list. Or even a “Think about it now/Think about it later” list. Hold on to the “lessons learned” that enrich your experience while you leave behind old hurts and give yourself time to sift through unresolved conflicts.
Above all, recognize that God’s love is unconditional. Our worth is not determined by achievements or the opinions of others. Our secure place in God’s kingdom rests in God’s love, not our self-judgment.
Living Faith*Fully is a daily step that receives the kindness of God as a gift. His forgiveness and compassion empower our gracious resolve to live as his followers and to bring his love to others as we enter a fresh, New Year.