Well, it’s hard to believe 2022 is now behind us, but I’m looking forward to all the hopes which come with today’s dawn. I don’t know about you, but this past year was a tumultuous one for me. There are lots of reasons for this, but the one I’m thinking about right now is the unexpected death of my brother Don, the first of my siblings to pass away.
His death has left a void in our hearts and lives, and I guess I will leave it at that. I pray that he’s now at peace and happy to be reunited with our parents.
After much discernment, I left a job I enjoyed and achieved quite a bit of success. My ten years there were filled with many blessings, along with a lot of stress tied to the pandemic. For some time I had been wanting to get back into a ministry position where I felt the Lord could use me more effectively, where I could use the gifts he gave me for as long as God desired it.
Part of my discernment had been about what changes I might need to make to help people get back to church and return to some pre-pandemic normalcy. I’m happy to say that the changes we implemented had the desired effect, although there is more work to be done. When asked why we made the changes we did, my general response was that the fruit flowed from a long and proper discernment.
That being said, I’ve come to realize that many don’t even know how to properly make a decision flowing from a well done discernment, not in isolation but with the help of others. More on this in an upcoming post.
Maybe you have been discerning what changes you might want to make in 2023. What do you think the Lord might be calling you to do this year, so that you can be a holier person, a more loving person, a more compassionate and kind person, a person who tries to find God in all things and strives to live a life pleasing to the Lord.
I have my New Year’s list together, and I’ve already accomplished at least two tasks. I still have a few more, which will need a few more days to begin, but I’m glad I have started. Now, as it always is, how successful will I be with the next 364 days? Only time will tell…
May God bless you and those you love in the year ahead. May God bless our world with the peace that only He can give, the peace we need so badly and should desire with all our hearts.