When I was much younger, I had a problem under my feet. I don’t know what caused it, but the skin that connected my toes to the foot, those lines, were just split open and bleeding all the time. According to my mother, I had to wear sandals for either a whole academic year or just one or two terms. For context, we wore black shoes and white socks with our uniforms, but I had to get special permission to wear sandals.
I no longer have this issue. It was actually something I completely forgot about until recently. I’m not sure if I remember it too clearly, but I think the issue had a way of almost disappearing, and then coming back in full force. I remember what it looked like because I do not like blood, but I do not remember how it completely cleared up. One day, I looked down and was wearing black shoes and white socks, and recalled the experience over a decade later.
I ponder over it often now, and liken it to other experiences in my life. When I was in certain seasons, my whole world revolved around them. They seemed to be never ending or too impactful to be forgotten. While the latter can be true, I have come to discover that the former is rarely true. It is something I hold onto as an adult, especially as an adult awaiting the manifestation of the promises of God. Joseph dreamt that his brothers would bow down to him (Genesis 37:5-11). He subsequently lived a life that seemed to lead him everywhere else, even ending up in prison (Genesis 42:6). But the dream came to pass. The word the Lord spoke did not fail.
These are rough examples. Life can be incredibly tough, and I do not want to minimize nor invalidate that. Notwithstanding, the Lord has not promised us that life will be rosy, but He has promised to walk us through the hard parts (Isaiah 43:2), and that His word will never fail (Isaiah 55:11). He says that He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19), and that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He emphasises that we should not worry several times in the Good Book, and that why would the birds and flowers be clothed and we would not (Matthew 6:25-30)? He even says that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and that He is our good Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).
That is my message for the new year. I want to emphasize that it is possible for the glory of the latter to be greater than the former (Haggai 2:9), and that faith in God, despite the outcome (Habakkuk 3:17-18), will always be worth it. So I pray in Jesus’ name that if there is anything you will stand on and carry throughout the year, it will be faith in His existence and goodness. That you will be able to forget the pain, move past the supposed permanence, and trust in His character and word. As for the Lord, He will continue to do good things for us, and we will forever be glad (Psalm 126:3). Amen.
