A better year ?

Well we did it, it’s 2021. Once again we begin a new journey; 12 chapters, 52 subheadings and 365 pages that will be written in our book. It’s a year that’s going to be filled with joy, laughter, sadness, excitement and everything in between. In our anticipation of what this year has to offer, our goals and plans, the popular question surfaces, Will 2021 be a better year ? It’s no doubt that this question has emerged because of the unpredictability of last years events. So is there an answer to this question? My short answer to this is yes but I arrived at this answer after a real search for meaning of what exactly constitutes “a better year”.

I like to think for the most part I have primarily been a type A person. We don’t really need to focus on every attribute of type A personalities besides the fact that I lean towards having detailed plans and goals  in my approach to life. In the past I have found myself always holding tightly to my goals and feeling empty if I don’t achieve them. Abrupt change hasn’t really been easy for me to deal with and last year was a perfect example of how quick the world around us can change.

I personally think that it’s good to set goals and have plans. Planning and detail are things that we can see as being a part of God’s own character. I like to think the magnificence of this universe is as a result of Gods’ plan and attention to detail. He had a plan for what life was meant to be and even now He still has a plan for what eternity will be as revealed to us in the Bible. I think it’s fair to draw up the conclusion that planning is a heavenly attribute and everything ranging from guarding our hearts to choosing a career path is by product of the intentional choices and plans that we make.

The other side to this though is while planning and setting goals are good things to do, I don’t think we should hold too tightly to our plans. I think we are divinely and purposefully out of control of what happens in our lives (to a certain extent) for a reason. The same way we can’t control when and how we are born and when and how we die is the same way we can’t control everything that life throws at us. Honestly speaking we don’t always know what’s best for us but there’s someone who does and I think our focus should be more on holding tightly to God and what He ultimately wants for our lives than what we want. 

I fully understand that this may not always be easy because our human nature tends to think we know what’s best for us. I mean, the only reason why Adam and Eve ate the fruit was because they thought they knew what was best for them. They thought they could plan entirely on their own. As we know, that wasn’t the case. There’s a lot we can learn from this but above all echoes the fact that ultimately God is in control. I cannot stress this any further.

I believe there exists a perfect balance between planning and trusting God which produces fruit that sustains us in the long run. That doesn’t mean we won’t have detours in our pursuits to achieve. We might not achieve everything we want to or we just might. We may run into unexpected territories and some things might not work out as planned. In everything, we must still trust that all things work together for good. So should we have goals and plans? Yes. Should we trust God? Also yes. It’s not either or , it’s both, and above all else we must hold on to God himself because only he knows what’s best for us. 

The question “Will 2021 be a better year?” is not a question that’s limited to our desires, wants and plans. it exceeds the realm of our own understanding of what a good year is and instead finds resolve in who God is. As long as God remains being good and faithful (which he will), we can have hope that he has a plan for what our year should and will look like. That also means as challenging as things may get, it will be a good year because he is a good God whose relentless pursuit of us and what’s best for us never ends. 

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Happy new year ! Thanks for reaching the end of my post and thanks for your support last year ! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you this year. Don’t forget to share this with someone and let me know what you think in the comments. God bless.