I was recently reading through the epistles when I came across a popular scripture regarding what our attitude towards this race called life ought to look like. It prompted me to begin thinking about the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It is as if we turn the page of a book after reading one and onto the next one. We could stay on that one page but we’ll never know what’s on the next one until we turn the page!
In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul says:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
– Phil. 3:12-14
As we turn the calendar to close out 2019 and open up 2020, we need to have the same mindset; as long as we have breath in our lungs, we can turn the page and see what’s next. Having the mindset of Christ means being able to turn the page even if the current page is not as exciting as we anticipated or expected. OR even if the current one is the most exciting page of our book, we still need to turn the page!
Turning the page requires having faith that God is on the next page just as much as He is on the current one. The next day can only be as good as we envision and make it out to be. We, as believers, have the authority to control our attitude and perspectives.
When we have attained everything there is to attain for our lives, we will be called home. As we go about life, we ought to expect and anticipate tomorrow and what it holds with the mindset and attitude that the race continues as long as we’re alive.
As I turn this page, I see that my life has significantly changed over the past year and I anticipate more of what God has to offer in the coming year. Nothing is a waste in the hands of a God who is a master builder. He takes the things we consider wasteful and turns them into opportunities for growth and impact through our lives.
Two significant initiatives I’ve launched in 2019 include:
- This blog – planned, anticipated, and thought through for years how and when I’d start writing a blog. Now it’s here and powerfully shaping my perspective in many ways and hopefully impacting people out there.
- Business – Angaza Solutions was birthed out of necessity yet it fulfills a desire I had for years to own something of my own and grow it over time to have some significant impact on the earth. I pray and believe that this is the beginning of something God will use to impact the earth for His glory.
These are just two of the things I’ve seen in my own personal life and I could share many more that did and did not happen. As the year closes down, I look forward to turning the page and looking into what God has in store for next year. When life with God is adventurous, exciting, and breathtaking, all rolled into one, there’s no wasted moment, year, or time.
Learning to turn the page so we can read the next one is a valuable gift. No matter how we feel about what happened in the past, it’s history, whether we like it or not. All we have to embrace is today and all we have to look forward to is the future. Here’s to turning the page to start writing on the page titled: 2020! May it be filled with exciting times and dominated by the God who makes it all possible.
Nelson Masinde 