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.
But what is the alternative? Do we simply accept that life is beyond our control, that entropy is the fate of all things, and that—in the words of Solomon—everything is meaningless? Or can we find some assurance that our efforts are not without meaning, whether or not we live up to the expectations we set for ourselves?
The Gospel provides us with a better way. Not, perhaps, with the answers to the myriad questions we would ask, but instead with the assurance our hearts most desperately need: Christ is enough, His grace is sufficient, and His kingdom is everlasting. When our years come to their final end, it is not a list of lived-out resolutions that we need, nor the self-satisfaction of goals achieved. We must be found in Him. And in Him, we will find everything we need.
So as we orient ourselves toward the future, may we remember these things: We are all homeless, without true belonging or real security, until we find our eternal home in Him. We strive with little return until we find our meager efforts subsumed in His great work of redemption. We cannot see the way to go, let alone complete the journey, until we find in Him our light and our strength.
From all of us at CLA-LA, may you discover this year that Christ is enough. May your heart be at peace as you find in Him your home, your strength, and your joy.
So as we orient ourselves toward the future, may we remember these things: We are all homeless, without true belonging or real security, until we find our eternal home in Him. We strive with little return until we find our meager efforts subsumed in His great work of redemption. We cannot see the way to go, let alone complete the journey, until we find in Him our light and our strength.
From all of us at CLA-LA, may you discover this year that Christ is enough. May your heart be at peace as you find in Him your home, your strength, and your joy.
