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.