3 Ways to Stay Hopeful for the New Year
With only a few days left in 2021, our thoughts are undoubtedly focused on the coming year. Most of us are ready to leave 2021 behind – a most difficult year indeed. But with a new Covid variant emerging just recently, how are we to approach 2022, with hope or with apprehension? May we suggest the former, with three ways to stay hopeful for the New Year:
- Count our blessings. Before thinking about 2022, let’s pause and reflect on 2021. Though it was a turbulent one filled with many hardships, what are some good things that came out of it? What are some new skills we picked up, or perhaps, old habits which we managed to shed? How have our relationships with family or friends and our walk with God grown and changed? Were there glimpses of opportunities to share or show kindness, or perhaps, were we shown kindness? In a year marked by overwhelming negativity, we can count our blessings and thank God for His faithfulness.
- Celebrate Christ this festivity. As we countdown to Christmas and prepare for the festive season, let us remember God’s goodness in sending His son Jesus to earth to save humankind. Whether or not there’s food, gatherings or gift exchanges, let us remember to celebrate Christ – the true reason for Christmas – and the true source of hope who will fill us completely with joy and peace (Romans 15:13) that we may bring this joy over to the new year.
- Have something to look forward to. In the dictionary, hope is defined as a “feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.” Biblical hope takes this one step further by assuring us that it is a confident expectation for something good in the future which we do not yet see (Hebrews 11:1). When we actively think of what we can look forward to beyond our present situation, it inspires hope in us and reminds us that there is another chapter still to come.
The truth is, we can still acknowledge the challenges around us while still living with hope. May this hope anchored in God lift our spirits and enable us to come alive with vision and purpose for the new year.
>>DOWNLOAD: A Story of Hope (evangelism tract)
>>READ: Window of Hope, a Christmas devotional
About the Author
Wan Phing Lim is a contributor to Our Daily Bread Ministries Malaysia. Born and raised in Penang, she studied Politics before turning to a career in writing. She loves coffee, books and films.
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