A Time For Moving Forward

I’m kind of glad 2024 is over, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one to wish away time. It’s far too valuable to make light of. Jim Rohn was correct when he wrote: “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you can’t get more time.” Neither am I one to overlook blessings and beauties. There was so much good in the past year, and I’m grateful for every bit of it. Every act of good will. Every expression of decency and civility. Every natural beauty. Every interpersonal kindness. Every individual who intentionally did something to make my life better or, more importantly, to make all lives better.

There was a lot for which to give thanks in 2024. But that doesn’t change the fact that there were numerous things I’m glad are behind us. Hurricane Helene, for example. In truth, it’s not really “behind us.” The after-effects are ongoing, and for many it will take years to put their Humpty Dumpty world back together again. Still, I’m glad that killer storm is over.

I’m glad the political season is behind us. It is always saddening to watch people become enemies with folks who were formerly friends because of political differences. A friend of mine who is an author, poet, and theologian, says: “All of us are right about half the time.” He’s a wise man. The political leader you think is messianic isn’t. He or she is probably right about half the time. The same is true for the one you think is demonic.
They’re people. No more, no less. I’m just glad that we get a two-year break from the hatefulness, half-truths, and divisiveness of our country’s campaigns and broken political process.

We, like most others I suppose, have experienced hurt and heartache in the past year. Some have lost loved ones. Others have had health crises. There have been broken marriages, lost jobs, and interpersonal estrangements. It’s a long list. Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Yes, we grow stronger in our broken places. Yes, we discover things like character and inner strength we didn’t know we had and faith when the roof crashes in. Even so, once the crash is over and we’re trying to learn to cope or survive, we’re always glad the crisis has passed. The residual pain may not be gone, but at least the crisis itself is over. However much we may have grown, none of us would choose to go through it again.

We step now into a new twelve months with a slate that is clean. What we choose to write on it is, to a great extent, up to us. This is a moment of fresh starts and second chances, a moment to let go of that which stymied our personal growth in the preceding twelve months. A time to let go of the anger. To let go of the fear. To let go of the suspicions. To let go of the feeling that we always have to be right. Maybe in the new year we will mature past those things and realize that anger accomplishes very little except to make us isolated. Fear accomplishes very little except to keep us from experiencing everything from adventure to friendship. Being right pales in comparison to being loved. If we didn’t do a good job with those things in 2024, well, maybe it’s better that the year is over. Now we have a new chance to get life right – substituting kindness in place of anger, faith in place of fear, and compassion in place of arrogance. Maybe this is a time to focus on what’s right instead of what’s wrong. And when we cannot help but focus on what’s wrong, maybe that should motivate us not merely to complain and lament but instead to take action to make wrong things right. If we give that kind of radical personal change a shot, my guess is that twelve months from now very few of us will say, “I’m kind of glad the old year is over.”