Moving In To 2021
by Leo Acosta, HCS Board Member
2021 has come with a lot of unanswered questions for the world. When we reflect and look back at the beginning of the year 2020, many of us had a lot of hopes and dreams. Over the last 10 months, we have faced new and different challenges in so many areas as a country, a church, and even as individuals.
The only thing we know for sure and the one thing we can find hope, peace, and rest in is that God is in control of it all. Our job is to put our complete trust in God and obey the leadings of His word and the Holy Spirit.
Our pastor gave us a great word of encouragement this last Sunday and I would like to share some of the things he talked about. As we move forward into the new year, it is important not to focus on regrets from last year. It is easy to dwell on our mistakes and failures, especially when so many challenges were placed in our path this year. I challenge you to look at your life the way God does, and start this year (and every day) with a clean slate, not dwelling on your past failures. In the same way, let us not dwell on the successes from last year. Doing that can lead to false pride and can prevent God from doing His work in and through you. In Philippians 3:13, Paul writes, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” As we move into 2021, we can be grateful for the successes and failures that have taken place during this past year, but I encourage you to look forward to the new things that God is doing in us and through us.
Along with letting go of our failures, and releasing our successes, it is important that we prioritize progress. We can do this by making small improvements daily in all of the important areas in our lives. Some of these areas include our physical health, our finances, and our relationships. What areas do you want to improve in? If we make small improvements every day, this will add up and by the end of the year, think of how far we will have come!
As we grow in the important areas of our lives, our pastor encouraged us to raise the excellence bar. PhiIippians 3:12 says, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” As we make daily improvements, God has given us the power and the strength to achieve great things. Let our lives be a reflection of his greatness!