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My husband likes to say, "Don't look back unless you want to go there." I suppose this is his translation of a few scriptures that promote looking forward:
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62);
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I [God] am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19);
Brothers, I [Paul] do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 3:13-14)
Still, I can't help but agree with Winston Churchill. The end of a year is a good time to reflect on the events that took place, the people who filled our days, how we spent our hours, and the growth we saw in ourselves. These reflections help us to determine changes we may want to make as we head into a new year. They can also provide inspiration, encouragement, and hope as we see where we were on Day 1 and how God moved in our lives over the next 364 days. Our reflections can lead to worship and praise.
As a writer, looking back on our year(s) gives us something worth putting on paper, something others will hopefully find worth reading, something illuminating, something that points them to God. If I can identify His fingerprints over the course of my life, I can remind myself and tell others what He has done for me. What He's done for me once, He can certainly do for me again, and He can do it for others also. He's a good God and He is willing.
Looking over 2023, I identify with the words of 2 Corinthians 4:8, “[I am] hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” To quote Brené Brown, “One day I will tell my story of how I overcame . . . and it will become someone else’s survival guide.” While that day is not yet, I know that God is working and He won’t stop until the story is finished, until He declares that it is good. When that happens, you can be sure I'll be writing about it! Until then, I'll keep looking back, seeking glimpses of His handiwork, tucking them away, and like Jesus's mother, Mary, pondering them in my heart while I wait to see what happens next.
Merry Christmas, friends. Keep looking back and looking up.
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For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.
