Perspective for the New Year by Amos Smith, Southwest Conference Blog, southwestconferenceblog.org United Church of Christ

Perspective for the New Year

by Amos Smith

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”   – James 4:14

In this New Year I am reminded of life’s brevity.  I am reminded of the preciousness of each day, week and month.  It is a privilege to be alive—to be among the living.  As the New Year approaches, I think about beloved members of my congregation and friends who have died: Roma McKibbin, who died on August 10th of this year; Marshallese Pastor Wendell Langrine, who died on July 26th; and Kristy Urias, who died on February 4th.

The chart above puts life in perspective for me.  It makes me realize that this coming year is precious.  What can we do with these twelve months that are before us?  How can we make a difference?  How can we use our gifts to make a contribution to our faith community, to our wider community, and to our world?

Life is an ongoing multi-generational poem, and each of us contributes a verse.