Listen

As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”

Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:6-8

Think

Sometimes you have to look back to be prepared to move forward. When you look at your life last year, what do you notice? What were the moments of growth? Of love? What were the hard experiences, feelings, and encounters?

Imagine now offering all of this to God. Imagine lifting it up on a great big platter, all that you experienced last year: in school, at home, with friends, in your faith, and in your doubt. This is a season of life.

While you can’t know what the coming year will bring, you do know that it is a season of possibility. Possibility to heal, to give love, to be at peace, to plant hope in the world around you. In a way, this is what Jesus was saying to the disciples: “You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” You might not make it around the world, but you are in the middle of your world. Bring it! Use your experience to share with those around you in this fresh new season.

Gina Yeager-Buckley

Pray

God, I look over my life, and I see all of the good and all of the difficult. Show me what I can learn from the days behind me so that I might bring your love in the days ahead of me. I know that you walk with me. I pray today that I might be aware of you as I move into this next season of my life. Amen.

Go

Go into the world. Make disciples. Make people curious. Make your faith visible.