The end of a thing is better than its beginning. — Ecc. 7:8.
As 2022 is coming to a close, I have to believe this Word in Ecclesiastes. Though it seems that something ending could be a sad thing, it doesn’t have to be. It’s all in how you look at it.
Some of us may may look at the end of this year and see all the things we didn’t get done, the goals we didn’t accomplish, the projects we haven’t yet finished.
But you can also look at the end of this year as a closing of a book or the turning of a page — a conclusion. It may be that some things didn’t get completed as we’d hoped, but a new year, a new page is now available to start brand-new.
It’s like a sunrise in the morning. It’s fresh, it’s pristine. Lam.3:23 says, His mercies are new every morning. The sun will always rise every day whether we see it or not, and likewise, it will always set in the evening too.
So the end of a year isn’t truly an end, it’s simply a marker in time when we reset again.
The closing of a chapter or year in our lives allows us to open up a new one, to see with a new perspective and outlook on things. If something old doesn’t ever end, then something new can’t ever be born.
Now I’m not one who goes for New Year’s resolutions, however, I do believe in goal setting. I set goals every year for my health, spirituality, and miscellaneous things like reading books and working on my Spanish. I want to keep my mind, body, and spirit continually growing so I purposely seek to achieve development in these areas. I try to review them throughout the year to see if I’m making any progress.
But I encourage you, dear reader, to welcome this new year. Reflect on the past one in order to learn from it, but not to live in regrets. If there are things we need to repent of, then do so, and keep moving forward. Gain understanding and wisdom from the past in order to enhance the future. Progress, not perfection.
Beginnings are good, yes, but they cannot happen without an ending. Finishing a book is nice; the story is over. And now that it’s done, we can start reading another one. This year is almost complete. Let’s wait for the rising sun to embrace a new one — it’s going to be better.