New Year

 

Swanholme Lakes. Lincoln

On this day a year ago I’d not heard of Harry Judd, Christine la Garde and Fukushima.

I’d heard of McFly and I knew they would have a drummer but until he became the star of Strictly Come Dancing in the latter months of 2011 I had no idea that his name was Harry Judd.

Twelve months ago our economy was as unstable as it is today but Christine Legarde was yet to be appointed the head of the IMF.  Now she is a regular feature of many a news bulletin appearing as she does like a sophisticated actress stalking the set of a gripping drama.

And in the Spring the world held its breath as theFukushima power plant teetered on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.

No wonder we look to the New Year ahead with a mixture of fascination and fear.  There will be some events which we will have a reasonable confidence in taking place. But there are others that will come out of nowhere and take us by complete surprise.

Benjamin Franklin once quipped that ‘the two things that are guaranteed in this life are death and taxes’.  As an aside one might suggest ‘unless you are rich enough to avoid paying tax’.  ButFranklinwas making light of our inability to predict the future with any degree of certainty.

But there are many things we can predict.

• From infancy we learn that to touch something hot is painful
• In our teenage years we may discover that love is risky and we can get hurt if we commit ourselves to someone who doesn’t share our feelings.
• Few of us would be so foolish as to run a marathon without the necessary preparation.  I know for a fact that any jog beyond a couple of miles is beyond me.

The year ahead stretches out before us like some unchartered landscape.  There will be storms to face, islands to take refuge upon, caves to explore, hills to climb and we may get both excited and anxious at the prospect.  From experience we can predict many things.  If I live in a certain way there will be consequences.  Live faithfully and I stand a chance of living wholly.  Live haphazardly and I run the risk of making a real mess of my situation.

But there are unknowns in all of this.  A twist and turn here and there, something out of the blue, someone acting in a way that I had not anticipated will be occasions that I cannot predict and call for a whole new game plan.

Despite this, and in certain cases in spite of this, I know that God will remain true to us.  This is something that I have learnt from life experiences thus far.  We will not be alone in the coming year.  Every month, week, day, hour and minute is filled with God’s grace which is sufficient for all our needs.  This is the message of incarnation, God with us, in us, through us, beside us and before us.

Every blessing in 2012