What Am I Passing On?
We are only a few weeks out from the Christmas season. Perhaps you feel you have recovered from the busy season while some of you may still be waiting for a vacation. It’s true that sometimes the big gift-giving, celebrating season leaves us exhausted.
With the transition to a new year, I always like to think back on the previous year and what I’ve learned. Through all of the joys and even all of the challenges, there’s much to be thankful for. In 2024, I chose the word unafraid as a theme. To remind me that as I grow and continue to change, that I would be unafraid to stand firm in my faith. That I would not waver as a child of God in a secular world.
I’m thankful for the trials, the challenges, and the twists and turns of life. You can’t get stagnant that way. It is not easy walking through challenging times, but because of them, my faith in God has grown. It is stronger. And I’m more appreciative of it than ever before.
Psalms 71:17-21, NLT
O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,
and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.
Now that I am old and gray,
do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.
You have done such wonderful things.
Who can compare with you, O God?
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.
These verses are special to me. They served as the foundation to my first book, Looking Back to Look Ahead, released in August of 2023. I love how they speak of sharing God’s faithfulness, throughout all of our seasons. They serve as a challenge to me. I want to pass along God’s goodness. It means too much to me to keep it all to myself.
These verses align with my word for 2025, adapt. God never stops teaching us and growing us. If we stop learning along the way, that is because we have been the ones to shift our focus, not God. He never wavers. He is the same yesterday as He is today, and He will be the same tomorrow. That gives me hope as I place my trust in a sovereign, all-knowing Father.
I pray that you will be encouraged along your journey today. What are you passing on to those who will come after you? You don’t have to be 80-years old to think about this, and in fact you shouldn’t wait that long. I pray that my nieces and nephews, my future children, and those around me, will know Jesus is my Lord. That they are loved and that there is a God who loves them. I pray that I will be able to pass along a journey of hope and faithfulness, even though the journey has been hard at times. To me, that’s more important than stuff. What about you? Spend some time this week thinking about who is in your circle of influence. What kind of impact are you having?
