For much of my life I have been blessed with 20/20 vision. It’s only recently that reading glasses have become my constant companion. I find that I need them all the time, especially now that writing is so much more part of my life. So frustrating at times – I even need them when food shopping, if I have any chance of reading ingredients labels…
So today is New Year’s Day and 2020 is over. For many that is cause for celebration. There is no doubt it has been a strange, unprecedented year, and extremely difficult for many. It has not been a terrible year for me, personally (In fact 2013 was much worse!) There have been difficult things – family weddings and gatherings missed, not being able to give hugs or have friends over, missing live worship, seeing friends and loved ones suffer. But there has been so much good too. More quality time with God, more quality time with my husband (who no longer has to travel two hours a day for work) and more time to write. During 2020 God gifted me with a publishing contract, and gifted our family with an expectant first grandchild. In the same year my son finally got his first full-time job three years after graduating. I am full of thankfulness for the many blessings God brought our way this last year, but I do appreciate that for very many people 2020 has been just awful. And my heart goes out to them. I pray, as we all do, that 2021 will be a better year in every way.
Every year at New Year I get excited. I love new things, and the new hope that the start of a new year brings. I like to ask God what He has for us, a word or a promise for the New Year. Last year He was strangely quiet – I think I understand now why, but like many I made the connection between 2020 and 20/20 vision. I prayed to SEE Him more clearly and SEE things from His perspective. God is the only One with true perfect vision, He is the only one who sees things as they really are. Having heavenly 20/20 vision might look like being able to see the bigger picture, and choosing to hope, knowing that His promises are true, and all that things will work together for our good (Rom 8:28). Or it might look like being able to see God’s blessings even in the most difficult times. Learning to see things from God’s perspective definitely enables us to get through the most difficult of times.
And what did God say to me about 2021? Simple. ‘Walk with me’ is all He said. I don’t have to see the path ahead, I only have to keep my eyes on Him. My prayer for 2021 is the same as it was for 2020 – for 20/20 vision. To have the ability to see more clearly, to see what God is doing, to see things from His perspective, to see the blessings. And most of all to see Him more clearly.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
