A Great Perspective With Which to Start the New Year!

Scripture Verses that Caught My Attention Today: Luke 1:78-79 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Observation: In retrospect, very ominous words even though, ultimately, they are true to the core. John the Baptist (the great prophet about whom these words were spoken by his father) sat in the darkness of a prison cell for quite some time and then, when he finally got out, it was to meet the shadow of death in his beheading.

Application: One of my many roles in life is being a parent. Almost all parents have hopes and dreams and expectations regarding their children. We may have lofty ideas (he/she will grow up to be a great leader) or more modest hopes (he/she will stay out of any major trouble and, in general, be a positive contributor to society), but we certainly do not wish for our children to experience any significant harm or to end up in jail. Yet that’s what Zechariah and Elizabeth, if they lived to see it, saw take place in their son John's life.

Here’s the irony though. John saw the light as he sat in darkness and the shadow of death. He was embraced by the one who guides our feet in the way of peace. The hopes and dreams his dad had for him were in fact fully realized, even though I’m pretty sure that the way it actually played out what not at all what his dad had in mind.

Today a new year begins. Many of us, in addition to having hopes and dreams for our children, also have hopes and dreams for the new year in general. As it begins, one lesson we can learn from the story of John the Baptist is that, just because things don’t necessarily turn out the way we like, it doesn’t mean that it won’t ultimately be good. Sometimes pain yields benefits that can’t immediately be seen, understood, or even fathomed. Indeed, if the words of Zechariah or even the 23rd Psalm have any truth to them, even the dreaded shadow of death is not necessarily such a bad place to be.

Prayer: Lord, you alone know what the future holds and what this particular new year will bring. Grant us the grace to trust in you through it all, come what may. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included: Genesis 1-2 and Luke 1)