The countdown is on – there are only a few more hours left before the end of the year! Over the last decade, I’ve found myself intentionally taking some time in December to process what has taken place over the year and looking toward the future with a spirit of hope. One of the quotes that I’ve found meaningful when moving into a new season, year, etc. and not wanting to take the baggage that is the past is this:
“Yearning for a new way will not produce it. Only ending the old way can do that.
You cannot hold onto the old, all the while declaring that you want something new.
The old will defy the new;
The old will deny the new;
The old will decry the new.
There is only one way to bring in the new. You must make room for it.”
-Neal Donald Walsch
Are you someone yearning for a new way, opportunity, view, etc. in this next year? If so, what are some of the old things, words, relationships, and practices that you need to defy, deny, and decry in order to truly let them go? What NEW practices and things do you want to integrate and make room for? As each year comes to a close and we anticipate what is in store for the new year, I have found this period of “in-between” to be a sacred time of reflection.
Happy New Year!
Pastor Kate Smith