Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
—Ecclesiastes 12:13–14
If you have stayed with me on this daily journey through Signposts, you might recall that on January 1, I wrote about being on the precipice of a new year. Now we have arrived at the last day of that year, and we find it to be bittersweet. We look forward with hope, but we look back with perhaps a hint of regret.
Before the calendar flips to a new year (and all the advertisements that will pave the way to a “new you”), we might take some time to reflect on the desire for change in the first place. For example, physical well-being is important, but is it the key to our spiritual well-being?
I also wrote on January 1 that our desire to change might have something to do with a deep desire to reconnect with the holiness of God. If that is the case, and I believe it is, perhaps a better way to look back over this past year is to ask yourself if you have taken steps to bring God back into your daily life. And as you look forward to the next year, what will you do to keep renewing that relationship?
For me, I plan to continue to begin each day in the Word of God. I am constantly amazed at how new my everyday encounters with Scripture turn out to be. And I plan to reinvigorate my prayer life because prayer brings intimacy and intimacy opens the door to insight and wisdom. I am sure all of us could use a little more of the wisdom of God as we continue to engage the world day by day.
Think biblically.
—from Signposts