“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

The end of the year is a time to reflect on the previous year, complete with the good, the bad, and the ugly, but this year, I find myself looking ahead. In doing so, I can’t help but reminisce a bit, yet I’m eager to see what God continues to do in and through me in the future.

I will be 50 this year which means that, by the odds, I have already lived over half my life. This alone gives me reason for anticipation. I thank God that I have not wasted my life, and I don’t want to start now. I don’t know if I have 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, or a year or less to serve Him, but I pray that He will ever be my focus. As the Hoppers Sang:

I just want to make a mark
I just want to touch someone’s heart
In this world, Lord Jesus, for You
May I ever burn with Your fire
Never let me lose the desire
To make a mark on this world for You

May that be the prayer of each one of us. It doesn’t matter where or what you’ve been. Today is a new beginning. Not one in which we make resolutions that we give up in a week, but one in which we ask the Holy Spirit to keep teaching us and leading us so that we can be a light to those around us and impact them for His Name’s sake.