It Doesn’t Have to be Scary
Here we are at the start of another new year. It’s hard to believe that it’s 2024 already. It’s amazing how quickly a year goes by. It seems like it was just yesterday that we welcomed 2023.
The unknown of a new year can be scary. Wouldn’t it be great if we could look forward and know exactly what the future holds? It would be nice if it were that easy. The problem is that there would be no need for faith or to trust God if it were all mapped out.
The best way to prepare for a new year is to be intentional in what you want to accomplish.
So, how do you prepare for the unknown?
I think the best way to prepare is to look back at the past, at what you’ve learned up to this point. Reflecting on the things that went well and the things that didn’t. With this information you can make wiser, more informed decisions going forward into the new year.
As you look back through the past year, I’ll bet you’ll be surprised at how many of the things you wanted to accomplish…you actually did!
The next step is to look forward. What do you want to accomplish in 2024? This is where faith comes in. You can set some pretty big goals for the year, but they need to be realistic. I could set a goal of owning a NASCAR team in 2024, but that’s not very realistic.
However, this doesn’t mean that I can’t begin taking steps in that direction this year. We’re told in Mark 11:23-24 that we shouldn’t be afraid to dream big. Luke 1:37 says nothing is impossible for God. So we need to have faith.
The other part of this is…
Our dreams and goals need to be in alignment with God’s plans.
There have been a lot of new things happening at Tisdale Church throughout this past year. We disaffiliated from the UMC. We got an amazing new Pastor. We’ve seen an increase in attendance.
Looking forward, we have some pretty big dreams and have set some big goals for 2024!
We can’t see the future, but if we align our plans with God’s, have faith, and do the work…He’ll take care of the rest.
This brings us to the remaining piece of the puzzle.
Learning from the past is good. Looking to the future is good. The thing we need to be careful with is not getting stuck in one or the other.
We need to remember to live in the present.
This can be hard if we dwell on the mistakes of the past or are only looking forward. This leaves us missing out on the important things around us every day.
This past Sunday, Pastor Lisa had everyone randomly draw an individual word for the year. These words, specific to each of us, should help us to bring all three areas together. This word is something that we can use to help us learn from the past, look to the future, and live in the present.
I’m excited to find ways to incorporate my word of the year.
Here’s to a great 2024!