If I reflect on 2023, it will not be about my favorite brewpubs or time spent at the gym. It won’t be about the adventures taken or any new hobbies this year. I am a person who enjoys the moments of life. I may not have a lot of meaningful events to report to you about, but if you ask me about moments in my days, I will eagerly share a conversation, a connection, or a space that feels sacred.
If I reflect on 2023, I can tell you about the goals I did not meet, the habits I did not establish, and the money I did not save. But I can also tell you about the joy of people who showed up for me and encouraged me in ways I did not expect. I remember gifts I found that felt perfect for someone dear to me. I can tell you about sweet moments spent at the lake, drives to Starbucks with my niece before school, marveling at my nephew playing tennis in his senior year, and enjoying the life of my grown-up nieces and nephews and how they are establishing their own lives of faith, family, and work.
If I reflect on 2023, I could tell you quite a bit about my sadness and disappointment with the Christian Reformed Church and how we are struggling in a more divisive way than ever. I deeply love and appreciate the Reformed Faith and aspects of the CRC. I am daily
grateful for my Church (Eastern Ave, CRC), our Pastor (Pastor Lindsay Small), and the beautiful community that dwells together in the Word and the world!
But I do not want to complete my total reflection here and now. I want to sit with each of you and ask what your reflection for 2023 would include. Sometimes, it is easier to reflect on our activity.
Consider this: If your heart were to tell the story of 2023, what words would you use to describe your year?
Who would that include if you were to create a list of the ten most influential people in your year who impacted how you view God, yourself, or others?
How would you answer if you had to answer who brought you peace this year, joy, and provoked your mind and soul to think and be in new ways?
Take some time in the next few days and journal your reflections. And if nothing else, tuck a few questions away to surprise your New Year’s Eve guests and share some heart-to-heart conversations as you enter 2024!
