There are many crossroads in life that we come to, and New Year’s strikes me as a sort of little crossroads moment where the meandering path of our life, all the days that have come before, brings us to this new day, this new turning of the calendar. At the beginning of a new year we pause alongside the trail of our life’s journey and consider the way forward. As Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Stand by the crossroads and look.” Is the direction in which I’m traveling a good one? Will it bring rest to my soul? Am I going in circles? What am I moving towards? What am I moving away from? This road I’m on, where does it lead? Is it a dead end? Am I wasting my life? Do I need to make a U-turn? Are you filled with road rage as you travel? Are you lost, and in need of a map? Or is the road your on straight, narrow, clearly marked? Maybe, as you look back over the course of 2020, you realize that at some point along the way you paused in your striving. Maybe your step count has decreased, spiritually speaking. If so, the gentle call to come out to the crossroads and look is an invitation to renew your journey with vigor and resolve.
If 2020 were a crayon it would be worn down to a mere nubbin. If it were a fountain drink the straw would be making strange slurping noises as it searched for flavor among the melting ice. It is used up, faded, cracked, chipped, and worn. 2021, on the other hand, is shiny-new and still wrapped in its packaging. It’s full of promise and potential.
Will 2021 be the year of Christ’s return? I hope so.
Join us as we study James 5:7-12 together. I feel it will be a timely message for each of us individually and also for us as a church family as we head into a new year.