Looking ahead with hope
It's the second last day of the year, so I should write something poignant and sentimental here.
(Anyone who knows me would probably snicker at the mention of "poignant" and "sentimental". =P)
I won't lie: I get most of my impressions of the world from my Facebook feed. There goes my reputation for being objective and intellectual. xD Now, I know that my Facebook feed is skewed heavily by the data Facebook gets from things I tend to click on and post/repost/share, so it's not the most reliable or holistic indicator of what the world is like. Still, from impressions alone, I get the idea that most people think 2016 was a crash and burn type of year, not least due to the US election.
If you ask me what I think, I'd like to share something that I read a long time ago first. I first came across this concept in a book by Pastor Rick Warren, but I couldn't find the exact quotation online so I settled for something similar he said in an interview.
This perception of happiness and sorrow as two parallel train tracks changed my perception of the good and bad times in my life. My personal default is to view things as black and white - things are either all bad or all good. It goes without saying that this makes for more negativity since there's always something bad and I tend to dwell on the bad more than the good, no matter how minor it is in relation to the good. Therefore, it's important to keep in mind that life is never all bad or all good, and in every season, there is hope and joy to be found in Christ. Besides, God can use even the seemingly bad things to bring about good - even if we never understand it all due to our our finite minds and short lifespan.
But I digress. The above paragraphs may seem to indicate that 2016 was a gloomier year than usual for me, but I personally experienced more joy than pain and sorrow. 2016 was a year of spiritual growth, forging deeper friendships and a renewed sense of purpose due to a more tightly packed schedule. It was a year of seeing God work in the people around me, of excitement to see Him moving so tangibly. No doubt it was interspersed with bouts of burnout, weariness, self-doubt, anxiety and despair related to the new situations that I was put in, but through both the good and the bad, I learnt to lean on Jesus and cast my cares on Him. And He was faithful, like He always is and always will be.
As this year (and blog post) comes to an end, it is my prayer that Jesus will increase and I must decrease in my life. No matter what dire predictions the media has about the coming year, my hope is placed in my inheritance - in Christ who is seated at the right hand of God the Father on the throne of heaven. Come what may, nothing can shake that.
(Anyone who knows me would probably snicker at the mention of "poignant" and "sentimental". =P)
I won't lie: I get most of my impressions of the world from my Facebook feed. There goes my reputation for being objective and intellectual. xD Now, I know that my Facebook feed is skewed heavily by the data Facebook gets from things I tend to click on and post/repost/share, so it's not the most reliable or holistic indicator of what the world is like. Still, from impressions alone, I get the idea that most people think 2016 was a crash and burn type of year, not least due to the US election.
If you ask me what I think, I'd like to share something that I read a long time ago first. I first came across this concept in a book by Pastor Rick Warren, but I couldn't find the exact quotation online so I settled for something similar he said in an interview.
"Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for." - Rick Warren
This perception of happiness and sorrow as two parallel train tracks changed my perception of the good and bad times in my life. My personal default is to view things as black and white - things are either all bad or all good. It goes without saying that this makes for more negativity since there's always something bad and I tend to dwell on the bad more than the good, no matter how minor it is in relation to the good. Therefore, it's important to keep in mind that life is never all bad or all good, and in every season, there is hope and joy to be found in Christ. Besides, God can use even the seemingly bad things to bring about good - even if we never understand it all due to our our finite minds and short lifespan.
But I digress. The above paragraphs may seem to indicate that 2016 was a gloomier year than usual for me, but I personally experienced more joy than pain and sorrow. 2016 was a year of spiritual growth, forging deeper friendships and a renewed sense of purpose due to a more tightly packed schedule. It was a year of seeing God work in the people around me, of excitement to see Him moving so tangibly. No doubt it was interspersed with bouts of burnout, weariness, self-doubt, anxiety and despair related to the new situations that I was put in, but through both the good and the bad, I learnt to lean on Jesus and cast my cares on Him. And He was faithful, like He always is and always will be.
As this year (and blog post) comes to an end, it is my prayer that Jesus will increase and I must decrease in my life. No matter what dire predictions the media has about the coming year, my hope is placed in my inheritance - in Christ who is seated at the right hand of God the Father on the throne of heaven. Come what may, nothing can shake that.
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