remembering 2017
My social media feeds are full of people bemoaning this past year, ready for a fresh start, a new year full of opportunity and a clean slate. For many, 2017 was one of the hardest years. There were many in my circle who experienced hard, hard things and this new year feels like hope. It seems to symbolize that the hard things of 2017 are in the past and now healing and second chances and laughter and hope for the future can begin as we ring in this new year. I think of the quote from Anne of Green Gables where Anne says, “isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it yet?”
That’s the question I hear from so many. For so many 2017 has been a year full of life—full of mistakes and victories, sorrow and celebration. We are ready for a new year, rest to shake off the past one.
A couple days ago I got coffee with one of my oldest friends. We hadn’t seen each other for exactly one year so we both took turns going through the year of 2017. As I listened and shared we both got to celebrate what the Lord had done and how he had provided for each of us. He had proven faithful again and again in our seasons of doubt, friendship/relational dilemmas, hurt feelings, family dynamics, work stress. He had shown up in big and small ways throughout our year.
This remembering is both Biblical and beautiful. Over and over in Scripture we are told to remember what the Lord has done. It is in this remembering we begin to see the character of the Lord. His kindness, faithfulness, and wisdom paint the stories we outline.
As you prepare for your New Year’s Eve festivities take some time to reflect on this past year. Ask yourself how the Lord has colored in the seasons of your journey with his goodness. Rejoice in his wisdom and action.
Whether you are watching the ball drop (or maybe you’re near by me in North Carolina and going to the possum dropping) with friends or turning in at 10 o’clock don’t let your head hit the pillow before you remember this past year. As you reflect be sure to share your findings with someone. Make much of what the Lord has done for you, and enter into 2018 with confidence that he will surely show up in this year with the same kindness, faithfulness, and wisdom he has always shown.
A helpful resource in this process can be found by the writer at sarahscottpape.com. Her guided reflect and rejoice outline can be found at this link: http://sarahscottpape.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/31-1252-post/Reflect-Rejoice-Guide-2017_SarahScottPape.pdf
That’s the question I hear from so many. For so many 2017 has been a year full of life—full of mistakes and victories, sorrow and celebration. We are ready for a new year, rest to shake off the past one.
A couple days ago I got coffee with one of my oldest friends. We hadn’t seen each other for exactly one year so we both took turns going through the year of 2017. As I listened and shared we both got to celebrate what the Lord had done and how he had provided for each of us. He had proven faithful again and again in our seasons of doubt, friendship/relational dilemmas, hurt feelings, family dynamics, work stress. He had shown up in big and small ways throughout our year.
This remembering is both Biblical and beautiful. Over and over in Scripture we are told to remember what the Lord has done. It is in this remembering we begin to see the character of the Lord. His kindness, faithfulness, and wisdom paint the stories we outline.
As you prepare for your New Year’s Eve festivities take some time to reflect on this past year. Ask yourself how the Lord has colored in the seasons of your journey with his goodness. Rejoice in his wisdom and action.
Whether you are watching the ball drop (or maybe you’re near by me in North Carolina and going to the possum dropping) with friends or turning in at 10 o’clock don’t let your head hit the pillow before you remember this past year. As you reflect be sure to share your findings with someone. Make much of what the Lord has done for you, and enter into 2018 with confidence that he will surely show up in this year with the same kindness, faithfulness, and wisdom he has always shown.
A helpful resource in this process can be found by the writer at sarahscottpape.com. Her guided reflect and rejoice outline can be found at this link: http://sarahscottpape.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/31-1252-post/Reflect-Rejoice-Guide-2017_SarahScottPape.pdf