It’s sort of like peering into a room, seeing only darkness beyond the open door. You’ve never been there before, and you’re wondering if you should take that first step into the uncertainty of what might lie ahead. You are pondering the ‘what ifs’ of making that move, of taking that step, of braving the uncertainties that are just through that threshold leading from what you know and have already experienced into what you have no way of knowing.

Perhaps you would rather turn back. Perhaps you are one of those who does not like not knowing. You are the timid type, the one who fears the unknown, the one who likes the status quo, the one who does not like the thoughts of any kind of change. So, you decide to stay right where you are. You decide that you will turn away from that open door leading into an uncertain future.

But, try as you might, you cannot stay, nor can you turn away. There is a force driving you on, pushing you into the realm of the unknown. You must pass from the experiences of 2021 into the uncertainties of 2022. You cannot continue to stand, peering into the darkness of the unknown. You must move on.

Now I realize that moving from the end of one year into the beginning of another is nothing more than the passing of a day. We’re not really moving from one year to another, but rather from one day to another. It’s not like 2021 has passed in a moment. It took a while. As a matter of fact, it took 365 days to pass, as will 2022. But, now we can look back on all the moments of 2021 and, even though certain things happened that leave us pondering the ‘why’ question, we see everything in the light. But, as we peer into the doorway of 2022, all we see is the darkness of uncertainty.

We are now a couple of days into this new year, and our eyes may be adjusting somewhat to the darkness. We may be seeing a little more clearly as our eyes adjust, and we are able to begin assessing the state of things to come. Some things, of course, will pretty much remain the same. The same job, the same responsibilities, the same demands, the same deadlines, the same, the same, the same… Well, you get the picture.

However, some things may not remain the same. As a matter of fact, some of those things we think will remain the same will change drastically. That job you think is going to remain the same, may not. In fact, it may end as a result of downsizing and cutbacks. Or the responsibilities on the job that you think are going to remain the same as last year, and the year before that, and so on, may change as you are given more to do because of the downsizing and the staff reductions. Or, the health that we take for granted may all of a sudden take a drastic turn, causing us to have to take time off for recuperation and recovery, or even causing us to have to step down from our job all together. And that person you love dearly, that you take for granted will be there for years to come, is suddenly taken – through illness, or accident, or even perhaps because they simply decide to call the relationship quits.

Bottom line is simply that we don’t know what’s in there. Certain things we think we know, and we take for granted that it will be as we think it will, may in fact not turn out as we think. As I think back over the year just past, I am reminded that we really don’t know. My mind reels as I think about so many friends and family members who have suffered the ravages of illness, and so many who have succumbed to illness by passing through that valley of the shadow of death.

In my own life I have witnessed my wife go through life-altering health problems that have resulted in so many changes in our personal pilgrimage through life. Her latest health issue led to her doctor advising her that she should seriously consider retiring from her part-time job, which she has now done. As we stood at the threshold of 2021, gazing into the uncertainties of this past year, we never expected that to happen, but it did, and now, by God’s amazing grace, we are at the beginning of another year. We, as everyone else, are gazing into the darkness of the uncertainties of 2022, not knowing what we may encounter over the next twelve months.

But, to use a well-worn phrase that can easily lose its significance through over-use, we don’t know what the future holds, but we do know the One who holds the future. This is a truth that we all need to hold onto as tightly as possible. As we think about the past year, we can quickly recognize incidents and events that took us totally by surprise. We can also see, in retrospect, that God was in control throughout the entirety of those events. And now, as we gaze into the darkness of the uncertainties of 2022, we can take heart in knowing with all certainty that God is in control. He always has been; He always will be!

Things will happen in the coming twelve months that will take us completely and totally by surprise. From our human perspective some of those things will be good while others will be bad. We may turn out to be like the little girl in the latest AT&T commercial. When her brother is given a bigger sucker than she is given, she protests in the most disgustingly pouty way when she exclaims, “That’s not fair!”

Let’s remember, it wasn’t fair for God to have to send His Son, Jesus Christ, into a sin-laden world to provide salvation for sinful human beings. It would have been fair for Him to consign us all to eternal punishment because of our willful disobedience to His prescribed will. And yet, in a completely undeserved act on His part, Jesus came to die in our place, taking upon Himself our punishment, and providing for us the means of redemption.

So, let’s not be afraid of what’s in there! This new year provides us opportunities to glorify our Savior through the eventualities of life that come our way. We are to live our lives for His glory by letting our life light shine in a world of darkness so that others might see the amazing grace He offers.

Whatever happens, whatever comes our way, whatever we experience, let it all be used for His glory and praise. Welcome to 2022 – turn on the light!