A Good Year

by Amanda Luedeke

Life moves fast. Too fast, sometimes, and it’s all we can do to keep up. We rush through Thanksgiving and then it’s on to Christmas and the New Year, and before we know it three months have passed and all we’ve done is run at a rapid pace.

Sometimes—many times—the best thing we can do is to be fully present as we reflect on the year and what we’ve learned, how we’ve grown. What God might be saying to us. So let’s do just that. 

At this very moment, you are alive and you’re free and healthy enough to read this blog post and take time for thought and reflection. Perhaps you’re sipping your favorite drink while your cat is curled up at your feet. Perhaps you’re in your favorite chair or you’re on a plane or in a hospital or at the office. 

You have shelter. Warmth. Food in the kitchen. A caring friend either gifted you the computer, tablet or phone that you’re using to read this or you had the resources to buy it. You’re in control of your time to some degree, and you’ve chosen to sit down with me and think about the ways of God.

Take a breath and walk through each of the following questions. Feel free to linger on the ones that feel most poignant. Push yourself to think—really think—about this past year. The good, the bad, the hard, the beautiful.

What are you thankful for right now? 

This last year was difficult, no doubt about it. But there was good too. What was good? What memories will you take with you? 

What happened this year that gives you hope and encouragement? 

How did you learn and grow? 

How did God guide and protect you this year? 

We hope this exercise is beneficial as you continue through this busy season that offers so much beauty and so much room for healing. We hope it allows you to see—to truly see your life from the perspective of what God is doing and how He’s moving. 

Colossians 4:2 tells us to be prayerful, watchful, and thankful. In essence, to converse with God regularly, to see the world through His eyes, and to offer up gratitude for who He is and how He’s moving. This heart posture is so important because we can’t acknowledge what we aren’t seeing, and we can’t see what we aren’t looking for. When we slow down by praying, watching, thanking, we begin to see beauty that was unnoticeable before! 

This blog post was adapted from Sense of Wonder: Delighting in God’s Presence throughout the Holiday Season (Our Daily Bread, 2024)

Amanda Luedeke is a writer and President of the literary agency MacGregor & Luedeke. She lives in a historic neighborhood in northeastern Indiana with her husband, three children, and pets.