Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind
The year 2025 passed pretty quickly, almost in the blink of an eye. It began with tragedy as soon as January hit, with 14 people being killed in New Orleans when a driver rammed his truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. A similar deadly incident happened in Las Vegas when an active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel and killed himself. The news continued to be filled with troubling and sad events as political disputes on issues like immigration and vaccines intensified, and beloved celebrities passed away. I did a quick Google search on how Americans felt regarding the year coming to an end. It provided this summary: "2025 was largely defined by a sense of ongoing crisis, especially economically and politically, with deep divisions and widespread pessimism, contrasting with some technological progress and pockets of hope." I interpreted "pockets of hope" as a glimmer of optimism that some things will get better, but I also thought about where people are placing their "hope." It is quite obvious that we cannot fully place our hope and trust in politicians and other leaders, because no matter how much we support them, there will always be areas of dissension. In some cases, there will also be a shocking fall from grace.
As I reflected on many of the major headlines of 2025, I kept thinking about how I want to deepen my trust and faith in God through Christ, because we do not know what is on the horizon for 2026. So far, experts have some positive predictions, such as moderate economic growth, although consumer confidence is currently not very high. Yet there is also concern about wages remaining stagnant amid layoffs. The truth is, none of us knows what is going to happen next year, no matter how much we try to be prepared.
Going into 2026, I am focusing on two primary areas of spiritual growth. The first is to, as Hebrews 12:2 instructs, "(look) unto Jesus," who is "the author and finisher" of my faith. As a journalist and college English professor, I "look" at and consume a lot of news and social media content. This is a major part of my job, but as we all know, heavy news consumption can be taxing on the mind, especially since there are so many distressing stories. Fixing my eyes on Christ and renewing my mind through Scripture will give me the spiritual strength I need to persevere.
The second is to, as Philippians 3:13 states, "(forget) those things which are behind, and (reach) forth unto those things which are before" -- that is, no longer looking back at past failures and struggles. The year 2025 was challenging for many of us, whether financially, emotionally or physically. And often, in the face of our challenges, we yielded to worry and doubt. But God constantly shows us how to endure trials, and He promises to see us through them. We can pair the encouragement of Philippians 3:13 with the prophetic word that God spoke to Isaiah: "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:18-19). I know that I am ready for some new things in my life, the new things that will draw me closer to God and place me in the position to enjoy what He has planned for me. Many of us may not have reached the goals or finished the plans we had for 2025, but in being blessed to walk into 2026, God is saying, as the New Living Translation states, "forget all that -- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do."
As we enter 2026, I encourage you not to look back at "the former things" and not to get discouraged about the current things we see around us and through the media. If we place our faith in God, there is something much greater that awaits us. Happy New Year!
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Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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