2022 has not been an easy year. Divisions seem to have
deepened and multiplied. Civility is in short supply. It feels like anger,
mistrust, and disinformation guide personal and communal actions. We’ve grown
accustomed to war and rumors of war. We have stopped seeing the image of God in
some faces. Heartbreak crowds the corners of our heart, nudging out joy.
Looking at the blank slate of the New Year, I wonder what it
will hold for you and me. When will a sunset create a deep pang so poignant
that catches in our throat? What call will we receive in the middle of the
night? How will joy well up so fast it will surprise us, and beauty suddenly
appear and take our breath away? What strangers will become friends? What will
we learn that will inform how we live for the rest of our lives? When and where
will love blossom unbidden?
As I look for a word to guide my steps into the uncharted
map of 2023, I found this section of I Peter from the First Nations Version of
the New Testament:
family. Be tenderhearted and walk with a humble spirit.
Never return evil for evil or
insult for insult. Instead, speak words of blessing over each other, for you
were chosen to share together in the Creator’s blessings. (I Peter 3: 8-9)
I receive the gift of these words
from the Holy Spirit and will hold fast to them each day. I don’t think they
will keep hardships at bay, but I do believe that they will make the way
through hardships clearer. Grounded in Jesus’ way of love, I pray that my walk in
2023 will be one of gentleness and tenderness, caring for the earth and others
as best I can.
What words will guide your steps
into 2023?
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