“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’”—Alfred Lord Tennyson
Hope has been greatly politicized of late. I don’t agree with it. Hope is not to be found in political figures. Our hope comes from within ourselves and our higher Power. Hope comes from no one else.
As we close out this year and enter into the next—as if the passing of one year to the next is like magically passing through the transom into some wondrous (or terrifying) new world—let us look to the opportunities which lie ahead. We are not without some control of our futures. True, we do not know what tomorrow will bring, but so what? Live in the moment. Carpe diem. As the Christ instructed: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34, NIV).
Hope is for that which we have not seen. Thus, for what is yet to come, we still have a choice. Our actions—our personal actions—impact what happens next. True, we do not have total control, and less pleasant events may lie in wait. Over such, we have no control. We do, however, have total control over our response. Thus, hope is ours.
Whatever happened in 2016 is history. A new year, 2017, lies just beyond the horizon. We have no idea what 2017 will bring. But, we can know how we will choose to respond to what will come.
If you are inclined to make new year resolutions, resolve to have hope in tomorrow and act today to make it so. May you be blessed in 2017 and make the most of every opportunity!
Happy New Year!!