Forget Slinking into the New Year
By Jessica Brodie
One of the funniest videos I’ve seen lately depicts a person boldly strutting into a room and slamming the door with gusto, the caption reading, “Me, welcoming 2022.” Then, it cuts to the same person a year later, this time humbly tiptoeing into the room as if they fear awakening a dragon. Now the caption reads, “Me, welcoming 2023.”
The implication is, of course, that last year, 2022, was so rough for so many people that they want to sneak into this year undetected so as not to rouse the proverbial beast.
Yet a year ago, they’d had such high expectations that 2022 would be “their year,” the greatest year ever. Think about it: Many thought the pandemic would be behind them, and all of their dreams would start coming true again. They would be living their best lives, seizing the day without holding back.
But then life put them through the spin cycle on a washing machine, and they ended up at the end of the year a soggy, misshapen mess, limping far more meekly toward the new year with vastly diminished expectations.
It’s funny perhaps because I can relate. I had huge plans for last year, few of which came to fruition. Now I snicker at my former self-assured convictions. At 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day, I certainly wasn’t strutting into 2023 like some confident take-no-prisoners boss.
But here’s the thing: I wasn’t tiptoeing, either. I’m still not.
Because as 2022 came to a close and I began reflecting on all that had transpired, I realized: Neither is the better course.
Rather, I choose to welcome the new year with the quiet confidence of a woman who knows her life is held in the hands of the One who made the stars: God Almighty. I know my strength doesn’t rest in me alone but instead comes from the Lord. Because of this, I’m neither cocky and headstrong nor timid and fearful. I’m simply a child of God trying her best to walk in the ways of the Lord and do his will. I’ll have good days and bad days, as we all do—mountains and valleys, highs and lows.
But I never walk alone.
There’s a scripture I love, and on days when I’m not feeling terribly courageous, I find it inspiring. It’s from 2 Timothy 1:7, reminding us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). These words, offered as encouragement by the apostle Paul to his mentee, Timothy, call to mind words spoken by God to Joshua, the man who followed in the footsteps of Moses: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Being courageous and rejecting a spirit of fear and timidity does not mean we should expect things will go our way. But it does mean we can walk boldly through life, armed with the sword and shield of God and the purpose God gives us in our life. It means we can do his will without fear.
That so-called best life everyone’s talking about? It’s fiction. I think we all know the truth deep down in the darkest depths of our bones: Every day is our “best life.” We don’t know if this will be our last year on earth or even our last day. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, so every day is a chance to stop tiptoeing through life and start living for eternity.
Today, the day this blog publishes, is the day we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What a man! God gave him a message, and it was a dangerous message in a nation so broken and bitterly divided because of racial disparities. Dr. King saw injustice in this world, injustice toward Black and Brown people because of their skin color, and he recognized a core truth: This was not in line with God‘s plan for his people. Dr. King spoke out against this injustice, calling for unity. And one day, he was assassinated for that boldness. He knew the risks, he knew what he was saying was dangerous, but he took them anyway—because he knew it was the right thing to do. And in doing so, he changed lives and inspired so many.
Isn’t that what we’re all supposed to be doing? Whether or not we’re risking our earthly lives, aren’t we supposed to be standing up and doing what exactly what God is calling us to do regardless of risk?
So I don’t want to slink into this year hoping its impact will be soft upon me—or worse, that I won’t have an impact upon the world. I want to walk boldly this year doing all that God needs me to do, whatever that looks like.
How about you?
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