“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

– C.S. Lewis

With Christmas Day already behind us, it feels as if the main event of the Winter season is already past. To be fair, that would be a  largely correct statement. Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year. That being said, the new year offers a new opportunity and a time to focus on different subjects. Christmas is about the birth of our Lord Jesus as well as a time of merriment, family, and joy. The new year represents out with the old and in with the new. Now we get to set new year’s resolutions and look towards the future.

Goodbye to 2024

Sentimentality is a term that gives people mixed feelings. Some think about cheesy Hallmark movies, with their kitsch settings and cliché plots. For some sentimentality can be quite nostalgic and dripping with the scent of yesteryear. I happen to be one of the latter. I am super sentimental, in fact sometimes a little overly so. I always dwell on the goodbyes and drink those moments in. Last days of school were always an important time for me. So, naturally, I have a lot of love for New Year’s Eve. It was the one time of the year where we all get to sing Auld Lang Syne, drink champagne, and reflect on how the previous year has been for us.

Given this, I think it is important not to rush into the new year without first getting the chance to indulge in the past a bit. 2024 has been a very significant year for us all. For each of us personally, there may or may not have been many changes, but worldwide there has been a lot. As this year was very impactful, allow me to remind us about a few of the important events this year.

The United States, France, United Kingdom, and European Union all had elections that shook up the incumbents. Famous figures like Jimmy Carter, Alain Delon, Donald Sutherland, Liam Payne, Françoise Hardy, and Dame Maggie Smith have all passed away. There has been continued conflict brewing around the world, especially in the middle east and eastern Europe. Not to mention tragic terrorist attacks in Germany. Assad’s regime in Syria was overthrown. In the UK after three little girls were killed, riots erupted across the country. In a style more akin to the French rather than the English.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark abdicated her throne in January. Taylor Swift, whether you love her or hate her, continued to dominate the music and cultural scene throughout this entire year. A bridge collapsed in Baltimore after a barge crashed into it. The 2024 Summer Olympics were held in Paris, but not before the Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo spent over a billion Euros to clean up the Seine, making it swimmable for the first time in a hundred years. Central Europe, especially Poland and Austria were hit with severe floods. There were two hurricanes in the southern US, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

In terms of the US election, incumbent Joe Biden had an embarrassing debate performance against Donald Trump and ended up dropping out of the race. However, right before that, Trump survived an assisination attempt. He was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania and by the grace of God survived with only a minor scar to show for it. In November, President Trump won the election and for his first time won the electoral college as well as the popular vote.

This is a super condensed version of the year, but I do still hope that it was able to help the reader to remember a little bit of what has happened. It is very easy to jump to 2025 and to already be jotting down our plans, but I really want the reader to take a moment and reflect. What has changed this year? How has God moved in you and your life? I am sure that the reader will be able to recount things that have happened personally throughout this year. Whether that be a new job, graduation, wedding, new relationship, break up, death of a loved one, buying a new car, or whatever else that may have transpired.

For me this year has included quitting my job, moving abroad, death of a dog, and many wonderful formal parties. As the sentimental type, I want to make sure that I give these events a proper goodbye. Just as it is rude to just walk out of a social gathering without giving farewells, it takes so much out of the spice of life to rush on to the next big thing.

Goodbyes allow nice and clean breaks to appear between different epochs in one’s life. Goodbyes allow for there to be final chapters. Goodbyes can also be very hard, even painful. One never knows whether an adieu to a friend may be their last. This also applies to jobs, homes, cars, and events. We all had birthdays this past year, and that will be the first and last time we ever get to turn to the age that we are now. 2024 is now over, completely finished. It will never be 2024 for any of us ever again.

Events like prom or graduation may feel forced and like a waste of time, but let me assure they are not. I do not think it is good to glorify youth as much as our modern culture tends to do, but that does not mean that each year should not be enjoyed to its fullest potential. It does not matter if you are seventeen or seventy, every year should be lived and experienced to its fullest.

Regret is another easy emotion to feel this time of year. Without a doubt there are many new year’s resolutions that we all have failed to complete this year. Maybe it was to eat healthier, spend less time on social media, or to finally ask that one girl out. Whatever the regret may be, we all have at least one from this past year. Here is a well known quote from one of my favorite poets:

“’Tis better to have loved and lost. Than never to have loved at all.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H. (1850)

In my own life I have seen this to be true. It is much better to regret doing something than to regret not doing something. Said another way, it is better to do something than to spend your whole life wishing you did something. There should be a few bumpers and cautions thrown up around this statement. Obviously the best thing one can do is not to sin, and I am in no way advocating for sinful behavior. However, when it comes to decisions and their results that are not going to result in sin, then I say go for the one that you would spend the most time kicking yourself for not doing. You should make the choice to aim up.

Hello to 2025

Now that we have put 2024 in its rightful place, we can now focus on the future and on looking towards brighter days. A new year is a perfect time for resolutions and to make it an effort to change past unwanted behaviors

I know that many scoff at the idea of creating new years resolutions, but I quite like them. Sure, theoretically one could start a new habit any time of year. But tell me, are you honestly going to just start going to the gym in the middle of August? No reader, you do not need to tell me, I know that you are not. I know this because I would not either. Truth be told, it is hard to create new habits, especially if they change your lifestyle drastically. This is why new year’s resolutions are so great. It is an excuse to actually plan to do the things you wished you would have done all year. They may not always succeed, but they are worth a shot anyway.

This idea ties well with regret as mentioned above. This time it is in a positive direction though. One may as well make a couple cool new year’s resolutions. Maybe the reader would like to read the Bible twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. You may succeed, but it is also possible you may not. However, I think it is unlikely that at the end you will just end up exactly where you were before. Likely, the reader will be reading the Bible five or six times a week. Maybe not the intended goal, but an improvement nonetheless. It is important to shoot for the stars and to set high goals for ourselves. We may not reach our goal, but we will at least land on the moon.

The new year represents more than just resolutions. It also represents the chance to say many hellos and to do things for the first time. We will all have another birthday and start a brand new year of life. New events will happen that we cannot foresee, but will nevertheless go down in history. We have new opportunities professionally, spiritual, and romantically. The future is unknown, but that is what makes it exciting.

A professor of mine once told me something that has stuck with me. During my undergrad I was nearing the date of my graduation and worried about what I was going to do after college. I was clearly shaken up and properly concerned. Yet, he said something I was totally not expecting. He told me that I was in the best spot imaginable. I had no idea what was going to happen mere months into my future, I had no plan and no idea. This meant that I had the opportunity to completely and entirely rely on God and His sovereignty. I was not able to pretend to trust in God, or say that I am fulfilled in Him while going my own way. No, because I was so directionless and my future had so much fog cast over it, I truly had to just throw my hands up. It was wonderful. My professor was right, and I do truly cherish the time I had where my future was entirely unknown to me, yet entirely planned and prepared by the Father.

What does your future hold? For many this may be another semester of school, or another year working for ‘the man’. It may seem certain, but without a doubt there will be surprises and unexpecting novelties. 2025 is the year of opportunity. It may not be unique in this, but that is besides the point. Every new year is the chance for new opportunities and new adventures.

Therefore, let me encourage the reader to make some memories. Life is short, and by the grace of God we are all allowed this precious time on terra firma. We may live for decades more, or this year may be our last. Either way, we should live our lives for God and to the fullest. May 2025 be the year of memorizing a book of the bible, asking out more young ladies on dates, applying for the dream job, moving to the new city, reconciling old disputes, or whatever else our Lord may be calling you to do this year.

Without further ado, from Garrett L. White and myself from Being Kindled, I wish you all goodbye to 2024 and a heartfelt welcome to 2025!

Happy New Year!

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. – Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (KJV)