What can we expect in 2024?
2023 was not really reassuring.
Global issues such as the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, extreme weather, volcanic eruptions, economic uncertainty and situations in our own lives are all on our minds.
And yet, at midnight on December 31, we slide into the new year completely passively. There is nothing we can do about it or for it. Or can we? Can we perhaps actively set off into the new year?
The hiker is on her way. She has a good pace and wants to move forward. She is prepared for a longer journey. Her gaze is looking into the future.
Does she have a destination? Does she know what’s over the next hill? Does she know what awaits her in the future?
And what goes through your mind when you see this cute sheep?
It seems unconcerned and a little curious.
But it would be exciting to see the same sheep from a greater distance.
Perhaps it is standing all alone in the meadow. Perhaps it is standing in front of a precipice. Or a wild animal is sneaking up on it unnoticed.
None of this matters to the sheep. It lacks the attentiveness of the marmot. It also lacks the overview of an eagle. Or the vigilance of a buffalo. Perhaps it’s only ten steps away and it will become entangled in the thorns.
And you? Perhaps you know exactly what tomorrow will bring. You have an overview of the coming year, you have the big picture. You know the path and the destination of your life’s journey. Nothing can happen to you that you can’t handle yourself.
Cool! You don’t need to read any further.
Unfortunately, I can't see into the future.
I don't have them under control either.
And yet I'm calm inside.
They’re safe, the two children.
If you imagine the parents away, it immediately looks different. Because the parents know the way. They protect the child. They surround it with their love.
These sheep are also safe.
But what if the shepherd wasn’t with them? Disorientation, cold, wild animals, darkness, lack of food in the snow. The sheep would be lost.
A marvellous picture. This shepherd shares his life with his sheep. You can see that in his face. He likes them and they like him. The sheep are safe and secure in his presence. Today and tomorrow.
So much for the four-legged sheep.
I have a marvellous shepherd!
… even if I am not a sheep, but a human being. Look what he says to me and to you in the Bible:
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and am known to my own,
John 10:14
and even more:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-28
What will the new year bring?
I don’t know any more than you do. But my shepherd, Jesus, knows. I confidently place my hand in His and walk forward. With sure steps. Through time into eternity.
And you? I invite you to get to know my shepherd! To enter into a living relationship with him.
This shepherd is your creator. Unfortunately, we have no connection with him because we have sinned against him. But the shepherd is looking for us and wants to save us and lead us. You and me. Here you can find out how: