The start of a new year often brings change and new direction, and this year is no exception. Our dear friend, Ronan Keane, who served as the editor of Activated for close to 12 years, is moving on to new opportunities and has passed the baton on to us. Thank you, Ronan, for your oversight of the content of the magazines and your excellent reflections at the beginning of every issue that whet our appetite for the theme of the month. Starting this month, we have the honor of joining the Activated staff. We look forward to the challenge!
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“A new year, a new life” is a phrase that is often used as we turn the page on the past and enter a new year. Nevertheless, to attain to such a lofty goal it does us well to consider Chesterton’s famous saying, “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.”
Though each new year brings a fair amount of optimism and expectancy, there are also often clouds of apprehension on the horizon, especially considering the uncertain times we live in. Will I reach my goals? Will my family and I enjoy good health this year and in the future? Will I be able to meet all my financial responsibilities?
The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to place the burdens that weigh us down on God’s capable shoulders. As William Carey once said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” God promises that He will be with us always 1. What better moment than the present to hold on to God and let go of all that causes us to worry. The key is to put our confidence in Him.
This issue’s articles are meant to instill hope; and as Peter Amsterdam writes in his article on page 4, hope is not a vague wish, but a certainty. As believers, we have the certainty that whatever the year brings, God can make it work together for our good because we love and trust Him 2.
Let’s welcome the new year by placing ourselves and our loved ones in God’s hands and seeking His guidance and help in all our affairs. May God grant us hope and strength for each task, as we look to Him and His Word, and may we share His love and truth with those in need.