I find that the time between Christmas and New Year is a bit like being in no-mans land. After all the preparation of Christmas & the looking forward (or not!) to the new year there seems to be this period of emptiness. I am not a fan of new year & I don't make resolutions but there is always an anticipation of what is to come.......
Many years ago I made a trip from Israel to Jordan. We arrived at the border in a comfortable, air conditioned coach, then had to disembark and wait for four hours in the fenced off "no-mans land", in searing heat, until they allowed us through to the other side. There we boarded another coach, far less comfortable, where you could see the ground through the holes in the floor! The hotel was not any more appealing. The following morning we spent hours crossing the desert in another uncomfortable coach and then in a smaller vehicle. Then, suddenly, what seemed to appear out of nowhere, was the amazing rose coloured city of ancient Petra. It was as if the whole journey, the good and the bad, was leading to this incredible moment.
So this is how I see the new year, after the wait. I don't know what is round the corner but I know someone who knows the plans He has for me and I go into 2019 with the excitement of what is going to appear out of the desert, with no promise of a comfortable journey but knowing the one who loves me is on it with me. So lets all journey into this New Year with the confidence that whatever is in store our Father will never leave or desert us and that He loves us with a passion. Happy New Year!
