At the start of the new year, we often find ourselves reviewing the past and taking stock of our lives. Many times we stand in wonder of what the Lord has accomplished in our lives and the wondrous gifts He has given to us. All too often, however, we stand at the measure and find ourselves lacking. Whether due to unforeseen setbacks, or failures of will, or disappointing circumstances, we are unsettled by our own shortcomings. We are not where—or who—we hoped to be.
Perhaps this tendency is exacerbated among those of us who thrive on achievement. For those for whom improvement is a continual goal and competition an alluring challenge, the sting of shortcoming can be particularly painful. Whether our ideals are material, intellectual, relational, or even spiritual, we feel the dissonance when we don’t measure up. So we resolve to try harder, to be better, to make changes. We try desperately to control everything from our emotions to our environments. And yet the suspicion that this year might nevertheless turn out like any other persists in the back of our minds.
