Looking Forward

Looking Forward

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17

An Amish family gathers around the kitchen table to celebrate God’s goodness in bringing a new year. Grandparents, parents, and children join together with the glow of the lantern casting rings of light upon their heads. A pot of pork and sauerkraut sits in the center of the table. True to the Swiss-German heritage, pork—more specifically, fattened pigs—symbolizes wealth and looking to the future. Interestingly, unlike most animals, which can easily turn their heads, pigs can’t look backward. We should all be so forward thinking!

After dinner the Amish family joins in a traditional New Year song: Die Zeit ist angekommen, das freudige Jahr. Gott wolle euch geben ein gutes Neujahr. “’Tis time now to welcome the happy New Year. God grant you to live and enjoy the new year.”

Amish families sing of fortune and blessings, but even as they look forward to the coming year, their gazes also lift to unseen eternity. The song continues, “In heaven before the great heavenly throne, God grant you reward in that heavenly home.”

What are you looking forward to? Perhaps you smile as you anticipate family togetherness, a graduation, or a new life to come. Or perhaps, as one year rolls into the next, you’re in the midst of a season of sadness or loss. Whether you look ahead with hope or anxiety, remember Who sits on the great heavenly throne. Because we belong to Jesus, we can say, “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” He is our reason to celebrate the new year, the days and seasons of our lives, and an endless eternity of rejoicing.

Heavenly Father, the newness of the year pales in comparison with the new life You give through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Help me to look ahead to eternity with a grateful heart, no matter what this year brings. Amen.