The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus who is often depicted as having two heads, one looking back and the other looking forward. Metaphorically Janus symbolized change and transitions. As we enter a new year we often see it as an opportunity to reflect back on the previous year and to make some changes for the new year. Kierkegaard was correct when he said, “Life must be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.”

As we look at the past it’s good to savior the positive memories and learn from our mistakes but we must live in the present with an eye to the future. The apostle Paul gives us a great perspective as he writes to the Philippians, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”
What are you reaching forward to in 2011? As I was coming out of the fitness center this morning after an early morning workout a lady wished me happy new year. Then she said somewhat wistfully, “As I get older the years seem to go by much quicker.” May 2011 be a year of joyful expectation for you, don’t let the mistakes of the past keep you from enjoying the future. Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest gives us great advice, “Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” Happy New Year!