As the old year fades and a new one dawns, we are reminded that life itself is a series of endings and beginnings — each designed by God to shape, teach, and renew us. In this reflection, we look at how change is not a curse but a calling — a reminder that while this world is temporary, God’s world is eternal and perfect.

🌅 The End of an Old Year

The end of an old year is the beginning of a new one.
Well—duhhh!

But let’s pause and be plain and simple for a moment.
Truly, that is what life is all about.

Life, through its entire course, is a rhythm of endings and beginnings—a divine cycle of renewal.
From birth to death, from mistakes to wisdom, from sorrow to joy, life continually turns the page.

Man starts as a baby and ends as an adult.
Immaturity gives way to maturity.
Some changes are so extraordinary that they redefine who we are—yet they are still changes.

This life we live runs on the fuel of change.
And why is that?

Because God already has a world that is perfect, and to my human understanding, He had no need to create another one. That is why we live in this imperfect, ever-changing world—a world designed for learning, transformation, and growth.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Just as a kernel of corn must die before it can live again, so too must we experience endings before new beginnings can grow.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
— John 12:24 (NKJV)

Some things start small but end great.
Some people begin as nobodies, but by the grace of God, end up as somebodies.

This is the pattern woven into all creation—people, animals, even the simplest of things—all are part of a divine cycle of start and finish.

And this is why this world is not our eternal home.
Our time here is temporary, by God’s perfect design.

“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
— Hebrews 13:14 (KJV)

God’s world is beyond this world.
In His Kingdom, there are no more endings or beginnings.
There is no more need for change, for it is already perfect.

This is why God made this world as it is—a world of changes—so that man might learn to accept, trust, and grow in Him.

When a person dies in this world, they begin to live in God’s perfect world.
And the boarding pass to that eternal destination is simple:
It’s stamped with God’s approval, and it bears the mark that reads:
“I BELIEVE AND I LOVE.”

Let us then believe in the name of Jesus Christ and strive to love like He does—even those whom the world finds difficult to love.

I don’t know if that will ever be enough, but one thing I do know:
It is all in God’s hands.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
— John 14:6 (KJV)

Without Him—nothing was, and nothing is.
Through Him—all things begin anew.

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🙏 A Prayer for the New Year

Heavenly Father,
As this old year ends, and a new one begins,
we thank You for being our constant through every season of change.
When we fell, You lifted us; when we doubted, You reassured us;
and when we feared, You surrounded us with Your peace.

Lord, help us enter this new year with hearts that believe,
minds that trust, and hands that serve.
Teach us to embrace both endings and beginnings
as steps in Your divine plan for our lives.

Let every change bring us closer to You,
and may our faith be our compass through all that is new.

In Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen.